Evaluating the Usefulness of Knowledge Sharing Connections in Multinational Construction Companies

Although knowledge is a vital resource for construction companies, most organizations do not take full advantage of their knowledge resources. In many cases, knowledge management is a game of extremes; either managers take a hands-off approach and employees fail to initiate connections that would otherwise be useful, or they embrace a spirit of collaboration that saturates employees with relationships and information flows that are redundant, time intensive, and distracting. To better understand what drives effectiveness in knowledge sharing networks, this study examines the relationship between structural and relational factors and the perceived usefulness of knowledge sharing connections. Results indicate that there is no association between usefulness and communication frequency, media richness, or geographic and disciplinary boundary spanning. These results and their implications are discussed in depth.