KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: A NOVEL APPROACH FOR IMPROVING THE PERFORMANCE OF ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ORGANISATIONS IN EGYPT

This paper aims to investigate the role of Knowledge Management towards improving the performance of Architectural Design Organisations (ADOs) in Egypt during the preparation and design stages. A research methodology, consisted of literature review and structured interviews, is designed to accomplish three objectives. Firstly, literature review studied Knowledge Management, performance measurement and management in construction as well as the characteristics of the preparation and design stages. Secondly, structured interviews, conducted with a representative sample of ADOs, investigated their perception and application of Knowledge Management as a novel approach for improving organisational performance during the preparation and design stages. Finally, research conclusions and recommendations useful to design organisations and decision makers are summarised. The paper has concluded that Knowledge Management is not well introduced to ADOs and merely used for documentation. Knowledge Management has the potential to improve organisation performance through making information accessible throughout the organisation on a timely fashion. This will help eliminating recurring errors, avoiding reinventing the wheel and saving valuable knowledge.