Interorganizational knowledge sharing in megaprojects : antecedent identification, stakeholder synergy, and innovation capability enhancement

Abstract

Megaprojects are large-scale infrastructure interorganizational projects with massive investment commitments, long construction durations and involving multi­-source integration of cross-border knowledge in technical and managerial from multiple stakeholders. Interorganizational knowledge sharing (IKS), referring to transferring practical information, technical know-how, and expertise across organizational boundaries, has become an important strategy for megaproject stakeholder organizations (MSOs) to adapt to the dynamic environment, drive innovation, and enhance megaproject performance. Although the benefits of IKS in megaprojects are apparent, stakeholders are still impassive about it. Three major reasons lead to the insufficiency of IKS. First, a systematic framework for knowledge classification and corresponding IKS mechanisms for facilitating IKS is lacking. Second, MSOs could achieve maximal benefits and value when they reciprocally implement IKS. However, MSOs are generally unclear how to collaborate with others to reach value co-creation by stakeholder synergy. Third, the antecedents and consequences of IKS are not fully realized by MSOs, which further impedes their motivations for implementing IKS. This research aims to use qualitative and quantitative methods to elaborate on mapping, facilitating, and applying IKS in mega projects. Specifically, this research first investigated the knowledge shared in megaprojects and IKS practices through grounded analysis of multi-source data. Then, an innovative IKS-BN model encompassing 16 influencing factors of IKS was established through a Bayesian network analysis approach to explore their cause-effect interconnections and their joint effects on the IKS efficiency. Third, from the value-focused thinking and network-based perspective, it identified three types of stakeholder powers of various MSOs and proposed stakeholder synergy strategies in megaprojects using stakeholder value network analysis. Lastly, a longitudinal case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau bridge project was conducted to reveal how IKS enhances organizational innovation capability and the owner’s role in IKS governance. The results identified four categories of knowledge and four-dimensional IKS mechanisms to form a configuration to facilitate IKS in different scenarios. Then, this study revealed the top influential factors of IKS efficiency. The joint effect of controlling various factors on improving the efficiency of IKS was greater than a single factor. Third, four internal strategies (i.e., exchange, value, integrated, and adaptive) and two external strategies (i.e., power incongruence and knowledge broker) were proposed to help different types of MSOs in the IKS network realize stakeholder synergy for value co-creation. Lastly, four types of organizational innovation capabilities (i.e., institutional, business, technology, and managerial) would be improved through IKS. The project owner plays the role of “leader”, “coordinator,” and “supporter” in IKS governance in distinct project stages. This study contributes to the theoretical and practical knowledge of construction megaproject management. This study makes an essential effort to govern IKS mechanisms in megaprojects from the socio-technical perspective. To the best of the author’s knowledge, it is also the first to explore stakeholder synergy and value co-creation in the megaproject IKS network. The findings can provide an insightful reference for practitioners in identifying efficient approaches to facilitate IKS and improve MSOs’ innovation capabilities and the overall megaproject performance.