Investigation of knowledge management process within the Vietnamese construction industry
Creators: name: Ulhaq, Irfan
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 330204
subject: Building information modelling and management

description: In today’s turbulent environment, knowledge is an intangible asset for organisations to operate effectively. Since every country’s productivity and economy have a substantial dependence on the construction industry, the role of knowledge in achieving competitiveness is indispensable when seeking to improve construction work and projects. Unfortunately, the construction work environment remains laborious and often, knowledge and innovation objectives are superseded due to work pressure. As a result, even in the age of the knowledge economy, the construction industry is often criticized due to deficient performance.
 
Knowledge Management (KM) has been shown to boost performance and provide economic advantages across various industries, including the construction industry. The function of KM in the construction area and industry has largely been studied as a phenomenon in organizations and is mostly studied in developed countries. This thesis examines KM techniques in the context of routine project tasks and emergent situations through several case studies. This study attempts to establish a better framework for the Vietnamese construction sector by using two scenarios.

The research was carried out in three stages. In the first stage, a literature review was conducted to explore the current practices of KM in the construction industry, which found that the role of KM is vital for the accomplishment of routine or day-to-day tasks and in developing a solution if emergent situations are triggered. Moreover, during this stage, the researcher documented factors and strategies that can assist construction organisations in sustaining KM practices. Then, a preliminary pilot study was conducted with a few construction experts to refine to further carry out the study towards a better framework. During the third stage of this research, five case studies were carried out involving representatives of fifty (50) companies from five stakeholder groups including developer/client, design and consulting, contractor, subcontractor, and supplier organisations in the Vietnamese construction industry. Since this study follows a qualitative approach, NVivo 12 software was used to explore the data to develop the thematic analysis. In the beginning phase, a single within case analysis was conducted, followed by a cross case analysis to explore the comparisons and differences across scenarios in greater depth. This step assisted the researcher in exploring and identifying existing methodologies and practices used by the various case groups. The analysis assisted the researcher in understanding frequently used KM tools, KM enablers and barriers, and cultural factors influencing KM practices. The last stage of this study focused on the development of the discussion chapter in the light of the literature review. The factors affecting KM practices include enabling factors and barriers to share knowledge between stakeholder groups, the role of culture on KM practices, and finally, strategies for further improvement.