Key issues for implementing knowledge capture initiatives in small and medium enterprises in the UK construction industry

There is now a great deal of interest among researchers and practitioners regarding the importance of knowledge management (KM) in an organisational context. Few large construction organisations have implemented and reaped the benefits of formal KM approaches. However, there are very few empirical studies on knowledge capture geared towards small and medium enterprises (less than 250 employees) in the construction industry. This paper is based on a research conducted among 26 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the UK construction industry. The paper explores the characteristics of SMEs as well as the key knowledge capture issues that confront them. These issues involve social, cultural and technological considerations, which demand a robust research methodology in their investigation. The research methodology for the study is also appraised in this paper. The paper concludes that if knowledge capture is to lead to a source of sustainable competitive advantage, SMEs should adopt a holistic and integrated approach to knowledge capture by considering top management, culture, processes, tools and training at the core of their knowledge capture strategy. Keywords: culture, knowledge capture, small and medium enterprises, top management

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