An Examination of Tacit Knowledge Networks in a Colombian Construction Project: Communities of Practice and Project Culture

Project-based organisations are effective vehicles for knowledge transfer potentially benefiting all project actors. In the case of construction companies, operatives nourish their knowledge through experience across different organisations that are dedicated to the same activity, as well as involvement in technical training. Furthermore, members of a project group will determine how the culture of the project is perceived. The study sought to examine the network of principal cause-effect interactions between the members of a Colombian construction project focussing on the nature and characteristics of knowledge exchange between site operative. The research project dealt with interactions and socialisation activities and the way in which these activities supported the development of operative skills. Social network analysis (SNA) was used to observe the communities of practice (COP) and their influence on operatives. Some networks function through the transmission of explicit knowledge to operatives that is later transformed into tacit knowledge (TK). Other networks provide working environments where TK is developed and practiced with other members. The SNA method demonstrates that COPs not only influence operatives, they also influence co-workers within the project and facilitate other, less central operative actors, to acquire TK.