Will the knowledge management specialist please stand up!: Experiences from the UK construction industry and beyond

Recent research undertaken within the UK construction industry has revealed a growth in the appointment of knowledge management specialists in response to two principal drivers: the UK government’s prerequisite to achieve industry-wide improvements and the desire of individual organisations to seek competitive advantage. Interviews with twenty knowledge management specialists from across the construction sector reveal various spheres of activity, frequently dependent on the knowledge management specialists’ background and training. In common is a desire to exchange and manage knowledge better (whether internally or externally derived) through the introduction of new and innovative ways of creating, securing, distributing and retrieving knowledge using IT tools and better person-to-person communication. In this paper the authors examine the skills and attributes that currently make for a successful knowledge management practitioner within the UK construction industry. In addition the authors compare the results of this research with previous research undertaken in other sectors over the past five years and identify where they believe organisations operating within the construction industry can learn from other sectors to improve dialogue and facilitate the advantages of enhanced communication.