Herbert S. Robinson

Knowledge Management in UK Construction: Strategies, Resources and Barriers

Knowledge management (KM) has received considerable attention in recent years. Some consider knowledge the most strategically important resource, and learning the most strategically important capability for business organizations. Major UK construction organizations have recognized the benefits that KM can offer and have thus invested in KM. This paper reports on a survey of these companies. The purpose of the survey was: (1) to examine the importance of KM to UK construction organizations; (2) to investigate the resources used to implement KM strategies; and (3) to identify the main barriers to implementing KM strategies. The survey found that the main reasons for implementing a KM strategy was the need to share the tacit knowledge of key employees and to disseminate best practice. Also, significant resources in terms of staff time and money were being invested in KM, but the main barrier to implementing a KM strategy was the lack of standard work processes.

STEPS: a knowledge management maturity roadmap for corporate sustainability

Purpose – The paper seeks to focus on the role of knowledge management in promoting corporate sustainability in the construction industry context. It proposes a maturity roadmap – STEPS to facilitate the implementation of a knowledge management strategy.Design/methodology/approach – Two research methods were used. The first consisted of a postal questionnaire sent to the top 170 UK construction firms consisting of engineering design and construction contractor firms. The organisations were selected because they were considered the most influential organisations in the UK construction sector. The second research method involved 28 case study interviews with eight construction firms to investigate their approach to knowledge management and performance improvement. The results of the questionnaire survey and the case studies were used to develop the STEPS maturity roadmap.Findings – The paper found that knowledge management is inextricably linked to corporate sustainability, but a methodical approach is requ...

Service delivery and performance monitoring in PFI/PPP projects

Value for money in a PFI project depends crucially on performance monitoring to provide incentives for improvement and to ensure that service delivery is in accordance with the output specification. However, the effectiveness of performance monitoring and output specification cannot be fully assessed until PFI projects become operational. There is a need to examine the role of the performance monitoring mechanism in ensuring that ‘value for money’ is achieved throughout the delivery of services. Based on semi‐structured interviews with key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, the case studies suggest that there are low levels of performance deductions in PFI projects during the operational phase. However, the complexity of performance measurement, inadequate resources for performance monitoring and the difficulties in the interpretation of the output specification raise questions as to whether the low level of deductions truly reflect the actual level of services delivered. There is also evidence of the public sector forgoing entitled deductions in the ‘spirit of partnership’ and in exchange for minor contract variations in the output specification. Both the public and private sectors are undergoing a learning process which should lead to improvements in future PFI contracts.

A Knowledge Transfer Framework: the PFI context

The UKs Private Finance Initiative market is predicted to rise to over £8 billion a year and there are indications of growing opportunities. PFI creates a long‐term income stream and provides valuable opportunities for portfolio diversification. PFI has evolved at a fast pace and the momentum is set to continue. However, there are major challenges facing construction organisations. These include the lack of PFI experts, longer negotiation periods and tight time schedules to deliver large‐scale schemes, high levels of investment and risks involved and limited knowledge transfer between PFI projects. Concerns over the level of knowledge sharing have prompted the development and evaluation of a Knowledge Transfer Framework that encourages construction organisations to transfer PFI knowledge between projects. It achieves this by building on a questionnaire survey of PFI clients and construction companies, case studies of companies involved in PFI, and research workshops to validate the framework developed.

Review and implementation of performance management models in construction engineering organizations

Performance management is a key issue in the construction industry as a result of complex internal and external factors. Large construction organizations are implementing performance management models to improve business processes, products and management of people to facilitate continuous improvement. This study investigates the implementation of performance management models in large construction engineering organizations. First, a brief review of the drive for performance improvement and the strategic considerations for the adoption of performance management models is carried out with specific reference to the Balanced Scorecard and the EFQM Excellence Model. Second, using case studies of large construction engineering organizations, the findings from the implementation of performance management models are analysed and discussed. It is shown that whilst progress has been made in the implementation of performance management models in large construction organizations, significant challenges remained at the planning, deployment and assessment and review stages. This includes the motivation for performance management, leadership and resources, communication mechanisms, measurement and data collection techniques and the role of knowledge management. Performance management models provide a basis to develop strategy for sustaining longterm business objectives, and more construction organizations will adopt such innovative tools to facilitate continuous improvement, as the business benefits become clear.

Business performance measurement practices in construction engineering organisations

Purpose – The need for performance improvement has led to the implementation of industry‐specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and greater awareness of the benefits of measurement in construction engineering organisations. This paper aims to present and discuss the findings of a survey based on the practical experiences of leading UK construction engineering organisations.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a questionnaire survey, the findings of which are discussed and analysed. The survey focused on establishing current industry practice and forms part of a larger study, which involved detailed case studies and led to the development of an innovative framework for links knowledge management initiatives with business performance measurement.Findings – The survey shows that a significant proportion of organisations are now using a range of financial and non‐financial measures to assess business performance, and a growing number are adopting the excellence model and/or the balanced sco...

Developing a business case for knowledge management: the IMPaKT approach

There is a wealth of literature on the role of knowledge management (KM) in business improvement. Those with responsibility for implementing KM in organizations are often required to demonstrate its benefits. The need to convince senior management and other stakeholders about the business benefits is increasingly recognized as crucial in justifying a KM strategy and the resources to support its implementation. A three-stage approach (the IMPaKT framework) - underpinned by an industry survey and case study findings - is presented for developing a business case for KM. The framework facilitates: (1) an understanding of the strategic context of business problems and their knowledge management implications; (2) the planning and alignment of KM strategy to address business problems or objectives; and (3) an evaluation of the impact of KM on business performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Key findings based on industrial application and further development of the framework are discussed. Evaluation shows that the framework could significantly facilitate the implementation of a KM strategy in construction organizations.

Impact of governance on project delivery of complex NHS PFI/PPP schemes

Purpose – This study aims to examine the impact of governance on project delivery in complex private finance initiative (PFI) projects. Governance is crucial in delivering successful projects within budget, time and in accordance with other project objectives.Design/methodology/approach – A two‐stage approach was used to address the research questions. First, a literature review was carried out and second, a multiple case study approach based on detailed semi‐structured interviews with project directors and senior managers was conducted to provide an in‐depth insight on how two major PFI projects were planned, managed and delivered in the National Health Service (NHS, UK).Findings – Project governance influences project delivery in terms of cost, speed of completion, quality and its financial viability as it is critical in providing clear organisational structure, effective decision‐making structures and control processes. The success of one scheme was attributed to an appropriate governance structure ena...