Evaluating the knowledge management practices of construction firms by using importance-comparative performance analysis maps

Abstract

The emergence of the effective management of knowledge resources as a key factor in gaining and sustaining competitive advantage presents new challenges to construction firms. Evaluating knowledge management practices is considered one of the most important challenges facing firms in today's business environment. This paper proposes a model for evaluating the knowledge management practices of construction firms. The proposed model incorporates knowledge management concepts and multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks to construct an importance-comparative performance analysis (ICPA) map, a simple visual tool that can provide powerful diagnostic information to executives of construction firms. The model evaluates a firm's knowledge management practices, identifies its competitive advantages and disadvantages in each knowledge management practice, and sets priorities for managerial actions to improve knowledge management practices. A real-world case study was conducted by administering a survey to 105 construction firms operating in Turkey and is presented to illustrate the implementation and utility of the proposed model. The case study findings provided preliminary support for the validity of the proposed model.