How task heterogeneity and frequency relates to knowledge codification: Evaluating the Shared Construction Guidelines (SCG) of 24 Swedish Public Client Organizations

• Over a sustained period of time, organizational theorists have argued that public sector organizationsare more inefficient than their private counterparts. Recent studies have explained these inefficienciesas the result of having to do with capabilities rather than resources thereby calling for an improvementof the capabilities of public organizations. A key mechanism for achieving such improvements is thearticulation and codification of knowledge. This study examines an attempt at codifying knowledge inthe form of a set of shared construction guidelines (SCG) employed by 24 large public clientorganizations in the Municipality of Gothenburg, Sweden. Specifically, these guidelines are viewedwith respect to the framework of Zollo and Winter (2002) in terms of how organizations with high taskheterogeneity and low task frequency can more effectively develop dynamic capabilities through thedeliberate learning mechanism of knowledge codification. Preliminary results indicate that taskfrequency and organizational size are stronger indicators than heterogeneity in deciding whether apublic client organization utilizes knowledge codification systems such as the SCG.

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Byggproduktion (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Construction Management (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Infrastrukturteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Infrastructure Engineering (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Statsvetenskap -- Studier av offentlig förvaltning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Political Science -- Public Administration Studies (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Annan samhällsvetenskap -- Övrig annan samhällsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Other Social Sciences -- Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Other Civil Engineering (hsv//eng)

Keyword

construction clients

construction guidelines

knowledge codification

capabilities

public organizations

Publication and Content Type

kon (subject category)

ref (subject category)