| Title |
Institutional Knowledge Management for Overseas Projects: Current Practices and Challenges in South Korean Construction Small and Medium-sized Enterprises |
| Authors |
강영철(Kang, Youngcheol) ; 왕현주(Wang, Hyeonju) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.1.379 |
| Keywords |
Overseas Project; Knowledge Management; Tacit Knowledge; Explicit Knowledge; Institutional Knowledge |
| Abstract |
This study examines how South Korean construction small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage institutional knowledge for overseas
projects, with attention to current practices and challenges. Institutional differences involving laws, norms, and cultural beliefs create
substantial risks in international project environments. SMEs, which have limited capacity for managing this type of knowledge, are especially
vulnerable. Although institutional knowledge has become increasingly important, research on how South Korean construction SMEs handle it
remains limited. To address this gap, semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees from South Korean SMEs with extensive
overseas project experience. The interview data were qualitatively analyzed using NVivo. Two main types of institutional differences emerged:
regulative and normative-cultural. Regulative knowledge is relatively explicit and often recorded through formal documentation or supported by
IT systems. In contrast, normative-cultural knowledge is largely tacit, gained through trial and error, and rarely organized or shared
systematically. The findings suggest that future research and knowledge management efforts for overseas projects should place stronger
emphasis on acquiring and managing normative-cultural knowledge. This study contributes to theory by clarifying the distinct characteristics
and management practices associated with regulative and normative-cultural knowledge in overseas construction. It also offers practical insights
by highlighting recurring performance risks linked to normative-cultural knowledge and by suggesting directions for future research to mitigate
those risks. |