Knowledge Sharing in the Construction Industry: Implications for the Future of Projects

Effective knowledge-sharing is vital for project management and success. This research investigates knowledge-sharing occurrences on construction sites in retrospect of the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing lessons learned and creating a systematic account of such implications. Supervisors within the construction industries are noted to have substantial tacit knowledge due to their experience level, which those being supervised (supervisees) generally lack. However, due to the sudden arrival of COVID-19, limitations were imposed on physical interactions, which had adversely impacted tacit knowledge sharing between supervisors and supervisees on construction sites. Although safety measures were instituted to curb the disease’s spread, some experienced supervisors were uncomfortable appearing on-site physically because of the increased infection risk. Challenges such as social distancing and masking were observed to hinder knowledge sharing and communication with supervisees even when supervisors physically appeared. This research, therefore, adopts a qualitative research design to investigate knowledge-sharing occurrences on construction sites in retrospect of the COVID-19 pandemic, using semi-structured interviews. The narratives were analysed with NVivo. Based on various knowledge-sharing scenarios, this study offers holistic and categorical insights into construction site issues during project execution. These insights are presented in a conceptual model to aid supervisors and supervisees in effective knowledge-sharing. The research outcome can be applied where virtual working is increasingly being implemented, and it helps inform future projects during similar crisis scenarios.