Graphical conveyance of knowledge amongst construction SMEs

Much of construction work is project-based, short-term and task-oriented; promoting a culture of continuous learning is inhibited. Very often, specialist and technical knowledge is not shared laterally, neither between fellow site personnel nor organisations. This is especially so for tacit knowledge, which site managers gain and use in solving their complex day-to-day problems. A research on knowledge management amongst construction SMEs is discussed. This study uses storytelling as a mechanism for unravelling the tacit knowledge of experienced site managers. As stories are told, wider learning is extracted through reflection and debriefing. The intention is to share this learning, first within the participating SMEs and subsequently to the construction industry at large. The research is at the same time exploring different ways in which any knowledge obtained can be shared or transferred. In this regard, this paper concentrates on representing stories or their lessons graphically. The paper reports two cases where two separate lessons from two different site managers were obtained by means of artistic impressions. Through subsequent feedback sessions with these site managers, the researchers were able to establish that the graphics had captured the hitherto tacit knowledge of these site managers. As well as capturing knowledge, the site managers opined that the graphics could be used to transfer information to others.