Knowledge management in project environments

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is show how the management of knowledge in temporary organizations is an increasingly important factor in many industries. This paper aims to examine knowledge management in and between projects. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of 27 structured interviews with project managers and knowledge management experts in different corporations mainly located in Germany and German speaking countries, the prevalence, the organization and the success factors of project knowledge management are analyzed. Findings As a result, most interviewees stated an urgent need for a significant improvement of project knowledge management although only in few companies a systematic approach exists. The success of project knowledge management is mainly determined by cultural factors whereas technical aspects like information systems and project management methods are considered to serve as supporting factors only. Research limitations/implications Future research should include large‐scale surveys to systematically analyze the causalities of successful project knowledge management in different types of projects, organizations, and industries. Further research involving companies located in other cultural areas could help extracting possible effects caused by cultural or societal influences. Originality/value The authors present a cross‐sectional study on project knowledge management comprising companies from different industries.