THE COMMUNICATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF KNOWLEDGE WORK IN THE CONSTRUCTION ...

194 Pages·2016·1.52 MB·English

THE COMMUNICATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF KNOWLEDGE WORK IN THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
A Dissertation
by
PAUL ALLEN SOMMER
Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of
Texas A&M University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Chair of Committee, J. Kevin Barge
Co-Chair of Committee, Joshua B. Barbour
Committee Members, Charles Conrad
Dudley L. Poston, Jr.
Head of Department, J.Kevin Barge
May 2016
Major Subject: Communication
Copyright 2016 Paul Allen Sommer
ABSTRACT

The domestic construction industry consists of project based, dispersed
organizations that face unique challenges when compared to other sectors. These
challenges have largely slowed the innovative capacity of the industry. Knowledge
management is a communicative practice that moves beyond data and information
management systems approaches to engage the largely tacit know-how and expertise of
organizational members and project stakeholders. This study attempts to further the
understanding of the communicative accomplishment of knowledge work in the
construction industry by engaging in both ethnographic and survey data analysis to help
determine (1) how organizational members communicate what they know with others to
solve problems and create capacities for action in our everyday work practice; (2) the
level of knowledge management use among domestic construction organizations; (3)
what motivates organizations to adopt new knowledge management practices; and (4)
whether communicative knowledge management practice had measurable benefits to the
organizations who were attempting to implement it.
The first study is an ethnographic investigation of the communicative practice that
one construction company utilized to help manage its knowledge resources. Everyday
knowledge management practices observed included the use of structured occasions and
planning meetings where project stakeholders engaged in the use of questioning and
mentoring in a way that promoted an organizational learning culture which relied on a
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complex and largely unregulated network of expertise. The findings also suggest that
embodied knowledge should be considered to help explain how organization actors
approach problem solving episodes. Lastly, the study highlights the possibility of an
organizational transactive memory system that helps organizational members know who
knows what.
The second quantitative study takes stock of the current levels of knowledge
management practice among a sample of domestic construction companies. The study
found that knowledge management systems were still relatively rare, despite the uniform
belief in their value and importance. The motivation to adopt knowledge management
practices was shown to indirectly increase project benefits, being mediated by both the
obstacles to knowledge management adoption and specific knowledge management tool
use. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in regard to each study, as well
as the research project as a whole.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Joshua B. Barbour, for all of his
support and encouragement throughout this project. His inspiration and guidance can not
be overstated. My committee members Dr. J. Kevin Barge, Dr. Charles R. Conrad, and
Dr. Dudley L. Poston Jr. must also be thanked for their valuable feedback and important
contributions in this constructive process. I also extend my gratitude to the other faculty,
staff and students in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University for
creating a respectful, engaging and challenging learning environment that I sincerely
enjoyed working in. Thank you also to the Department of Communication and the
College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University for the generous funding that made
this research possible.
This research would not have been be possible without the help of those in the
construction industry. Thank you to the organization and its members who allowed me
access to their work lives, and to the construction leaders who responded to my survey.
Lastly, I must thank my family who has stood by me throughout this grand
experience. Thank you to my parents, Carl and Marianne Sommer. I am forever in their
debt for their selfless encouragement and support. And the biggest thank you to my wife,
Elizabeth Sommer, who has been the best supporter of all. I could not imagine having
accomplished this without her. I must thank her for knowing what I needed, even when I
didn’t, and for being my constant companion and source of encouragement.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................. iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................... v
LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ viii
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ ix
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY,
KNOWLEDGE AND WHY IT MATTERS ..................................................................... 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1
Challenges of the Construction Industry .................................................................... 3
A Note on My Experience ......................................................................................... 8
Knowledge Management Research Activity ........................................................... 13
Overview ...................................................................................................................... 14
CHAPTER II WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE AND HOW IS IT MANAGED? ................... 18
Organizational Knowledge History ............................................................................. 18
Knowledge Management in the Construction Industry ............................................... 20
A Communication Perspective on Knowledge Management .................................. 28
CHAPTER III THE COMMUNICATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF
KNOWLEDGE WORK IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY ................................ 34
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 34
Relevant Literature ...................................................................................................... 35
Knowing as Practice ................................................................................................ 35
Transactive Memory ................................................................................................ 39
Relational Communication and Organizational Learning ....................................... 43
Background and Research Sites ................................................................................... 46
Research Sites .......................................................................................................... 47
Methods ....................................................................................................................... 51
Data Collection ........................................................................................................ 51
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................... 53
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The Communicative Accomplishment of Knowledge Work ...................................... 55
Identification ............................................................................................................ 57
Legitimacy of Action ............................................................................................... 63
Accountability .......................................................................................................... 70
Discussion .................................................................................................................... 78
The Communicative Practice and Accomplishment of Knowledge Work .............. 78
Organizational Transactive Memory ....................................................................... 81
The Framework for Practice-Based Research on Knowing ..................................... 83
What’s Missing? ...................................................................................................... 85
Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 87
Practical Implications ............................................................................................... 88
Theoretical Implications .......................................................................................... 88
Future Research ....................................................................................................... 90
Limitations ............................................................................................................... 91
CHAPTER IV THE STATE OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT IN THE
DOMESTIC CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND ITS EFFECTS ON PROJECT
OUTCOMES ................................................................................................................... 93
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 93
Relevant Literatures ..................................................................................................... 95
The Domestic Construction Industry ....................................................................... 95
Knowledge as an Organizational Resource ........................................................... 100
Adoption of Knowledge Management Practice ..................................................... 104
Methods ..................................................................................................................... 106
Measures ................................................................................................................ 106
Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 110
Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 112
Results ........................................................................................................................ 114
Respondents ........................................................................................................... 114
The Status of Knowledge Management Practice in the Domestic Industry .......... 115
The Effect of Mimetic Institutional Pressures on Knowledge Management
Adoption and Outcomes ........................................................................................ 123
Discussion .................................................................................................................. 125
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 131
Theoretical Implications ........................................................................................ 131
Practical Implications ............................................................................................. 132
Limitations and Future Research ........................................................................... 133
CHAPTER V CONCLUSION....................................................................................... 138

The Communicative Accomplishment of Knowledge Work .................................... 140
The State of Knowledge Management and Its Effects on Project Outcomes ............ 143
Theoretical Implications ............................................................................................ 147
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Practical Implications ................................................................................................ 163
Future Research and Propositions .............................................................................. 166
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 170
APPENDIX A ................................................................................................................ 183
APPENDIX B ................................................................................................................ 184

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LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Figure 1. The Effect of Expected Knowledge Management Practice Among
Competitors on Project Benefits is Mediated by Obstacles to
Knowledge Management Implementation and Tool Use Among
Construction Companies. ............................................................................... 114
Figure 2. The Communicative Accomplishment of Knowledge Work Model. ............. 152

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LIST OF TABLES
Page

Table 1. Communicative Accomplishment of Knowledge Work Interpretive
Analysis: Analyzing Situation-Framing Resources. ........................................ 55
Table 2. Hypothesized Relationships Between EPKM, Obstacles, Tools and
Project Benefits .............................................................................................. 124

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, KNOWLEDGE AND
WHY IT MATTERS
Introduction
As of September 1st, the Census Bureau of the United States Department of
Commerce estimated that the seasonably adjusted annual rate of the value of
construction put in place for 2015 was almost $1.1 billion, up over 14 percent from the
September figures of 2014 (Census Bureau, 2015). A report published by Global
Construction Perspectives and Oxford Economics estimated that global construction
output will grow by more than 70% to a staggering $15 trillion by 2025, a projection that
outpaces global GDP (Global Construction, 2013). This growth is concentrated in China,
the United States, and India, and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
estimates that an investment of $3.6 trillion will be needed by the year 2020 simply to
maintain U.S. infrastructure. For example, 42% of America’s urban highways are
congested at a cost of over $100 billion annually to the American public in time and fuel,
and the Federal Highway Administration estimates $170 billion in annual investments
are needed to improve the highway infrastructure and raise the current ASCE grade from
a D (ASCE, 2013). The American construction industry plays a major role in our
country’s GDP and daily experience as we rely on their products, processes, and
expertise to keep us working and playing every day.
At the same time, the industry is hammered by fragmentation and weak
innovative capabilities, especially compared to other growing industries like
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