View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by PolyU Institutional Repository This is the Pre-Published Version. Organizational Culture and Knowledge Management Success at Project and Organizational Levels in Contracting Firms Patrick S.W. Fong1 and Cecilia W.C. Kwok2 ABSTRACT This research focuses on contracting firms within the construction sector. It characterizes and evaluates the composition of organizational culture using four culture types (Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy), the strategic approach for knowledge flow, and the success of KM systems at different hierarchical levels of contracting organizations (project and parent organization level). Responses from managers of local or overseas contracting firms operating in Hong Kong were collected using a carefully constructed questionnaire survey that was distributed through electronic mail. The organizational value is analyzed in terms of the four cultural models. Clan culture is found to be the most popular at both project and organization levels, which means that the culture of contracting firms very much depends on honest communication, respect for people, trust, and cohesive relationships. On the other hand, Hierarchy 1 Associate Professor, Department of Building & Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong (corresponding author). T: +(852) 2766 5801 F: +(852) 2764 5131 E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Department of Building & Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. 1 culture, which focuses on stability and continuity, and analysis and control, seems to be the least favored at both levels. Another significant finding was that the two main KM strategies for knowledge flow, Codification and Personalization, were employed at both project and organization levels in equal proportion.