Knowledge)management)in)and)between)large) complex)projects : An!investigation!of!enablers!and!inhibitors!of!an! implementation!of!new!knowledge!management! concepts!in!knowledge7intensive!organizations

Sammanfattning: Knowledge management is in the ever-changing environment and previous research argues that the survival and growth of organizations in such changing environment is dependent upon effective utilization of information and knowledge. Although knowledge management has developed over long time, both in research and in practice, its recognition as a discipline is still debated and there are few models substantial enough to be used in practice. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate and identify factors that facilitate or hinder an implementation of a successful knowledge management concepts. Even though knowledge management and change management has received a lot of attention in research, there is still need for further understanding of the implementation of knowledge management concepts. This study relies on an abductive approach of qualitative nature and the research design is a case study. The strength of this research is the empirical material underlying the results of this study that can be concluded in the importance of two main themes, organizational culture and organizational structure. Our result emphasizes the importance of the following enablers; large network, workshops and documentation, a person responsible for compiling and adjusting the lessons learned, lessons learned connected to a person, and allocation of time and cost. Further, our result emphasizes the following inhibitors; perceived culture does not match actual culture, information and knowledge is often kept within project boundaries, too much administration, and a time consuming and costly process. The main inhibitor is that project based organizations often tend to focus on direct value, but when implementing new knowledge management concepts, the direct costs will be higher and more visual than the direct value. Implementing a knowledge management system will create direct value, but the largest gain is the creation of long-term value when the knowledge management system is established and well-functioning.