1、中文3223字出处：Journalof construction engineering and management, 2009, 135(12): 1348-1356 英文原文 Organizational Culture and Knowledge Management Successat Project and Organizational Levels in Contracting Firms ABSTRACT This research focuses on contracting firms within the construction se
2、ctor. Itcharacterizes and evaluates the composition of organizational culture using four culturetypes (Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy), the strategic approach for knowledgeflow, and the success of KM systems at different hierarchical levels of contractingorganizations (project and parent org
3、anization level). Responses from managers oflocal or overseas contracting firms operating in Hong Kong were collected using acarefully constructed questionnaire survey that was distributed through electronic mail.The organizational value is analyzed in terms of the four cultural models. Clan culture
4、is found to be the most popular at both project and organization levels, which meansthat the culture of contracting firms very much depends on honest communication,respect for people, trust, and cohesive relationships. On the other hand, Hierarchyculture, which focuses on stability and continuity, a
5、nd analysis and control, seems to bethe least favored at both levels.Another significant finding was that the two main KM strategies for knowledge flow,Codification and Personalization, were employed at both project and organizationlevels in equal proportion. This indicates that successful knowledge
6、 managementefforts at both enterprise levels utilize a hybrid and balanced approach for theirknowledge flow, and that they complement each other. The findings also revealed thatKMS success factors emphasize the support of the management level. The results showthat KM is critical and beneficial as in
7、dicated by 64% at the project and 74% at theorganization level. The expectation is higher for organizations as they are theorganizational memories in which experiences of past projects are archived andconnected. Understanding these factors and the relationships among them has beendemonstrated to be
8、critical in order to increase the chances of success or to help withmaking decisions when applying knowledge management. Concept of Knowledge Management Knowledge management emerged from the world of academia in the 90s and hasbecome a hot issue, especially for business and technology le
9、aders (Frappaolo 2002).The motivation for actively engaging in knowledge management is to improveemployees decision-making and productivity (Koenig 2002). The concept ofknowledge management is nothing new, but the terminology is new. The exactdefinition of knowledge management is difficult to clarif
10、y and is still the subject of anongoing debate. There are a number of definitions of knowledge management. Forexample, Frappaolo (2002) identifies knowledge management as the leveraging ofcollective wisdom to increase responsiveness and innovation, also emphasizing there-use of experience and
11、 practices. Cong and Pandya (2003) mention knowledgemanagement has three basic elements: people, process and technology. Among thesethree elements, the percentage of effort put in is around 70%, 20% and 10%. Accordingto Palmer and Platt (2005), there are five stages of knowledge management: horizons
12、canning, awareness, understanding, implementation and monitoring. Thoughknowledge has to be managed, this does not imply that the objective of knowledgemanagement is to manage all knowledge. Instead, it is to manage knowledge that is themost essential to an organization, whether it be tacit or expli
13、cit.Many people may consider information technology (IT) as knowledge management(KM). However, the equal sign should not put between IT and KM. IT is an enabler ofKM, and has undoubtedly engendered a revolution in knowledge management(Marwick 2001). KM is something more than IT: a good database syst
14、em forknowledge storage is not enough, rather the critical point is the high accessibility toacquire knowledge (Chait 2000). IT is effective in the transfer of articles, documents ordata, but in certain circumstances the effectiveness increases if the transfer ofknowledge is undertaken verbally, bec
15、ause interaction speeds up the rate of knowledgedelivery and receiving.From the beginning, it is stressed that contracting firms have a pool of knowledge thatneeded to be managed: knowledge in advanced machinery and technologies, theexperiences of personnel involved in a project, the properties of d
16、ifferent constructionmaterials, or products and lessons learned as a result of managing a project. Models of Organizational Culture Cameron and Quinn (1999) developed a widely adopted organizational culturalframework. Organizational culture is an organizations values, assumptions andexpe
17、ctations (Hooijberg&Petrock 1993). It serves as a filter through which strategiesare decided and performance results (Saint-Onge 2002). Four models of culture aredetermined through an organizational culture assessment instrument (OCAI) (ONeill& Quinn 1993). The OCAI approach uses two sets of
18、 questionnaires to assess currentand ideal organizational values in six essential dimensions of culture respectively. The four models of cultureare Hierarchy, Market, Clan and Adhocracy. Hierarchy culture is considered as the earliest approach, recognized by a formalizedand structured working place
19、(Cameron & Quinn 1999). This culture emphasizesinternal issues and intends to provide a stable environment to increase productivity, orto generate efficient and reliable products by setting up rules, policy or specialization.Market culture focuses on management of external affairs. This is regar
20、ded as aresults-oriented and customer-based culture. It contributes to organizationaleffectiveness and operates as a market. Clan culture is about people and sharingbetween individuals. This organizational culture concentrates on teamwork, loyalty,commitment and participation of employees. It ultimately helps human resourcesdevelopment. Adhocracy culture is dynamic and creative. This culture has a
