The Effect of Knowledge Management Infrastructure through Knowledge Management Processes on the Performance of Temporary Teams in the Project

Today, despite the increase in global competition in the market, the prevalence of temporary forms of cooperation and project-based work is increasing. Likewise, the intensity of knowledge of the content of the work is growing. However, the temporary nature of projects does not support the transfer of knowledge between and within projects. Some researchers acknowledge that knowledge management is one of the most successful ways to improve team performance .As a result, the present study analyzed the relationship among knowledge management infrastructure, knowledge management processes, and project team performance.

The strategy used in the present study is survey-based. The statistical population comprises the project work teams in contracting companies ranked in construction, road, transportation, mining, communications, oil, and gas in Tehran province. People working on projects have participated as representatives of teams in filling out questionnaires. Data collection was done by sending a web-based version of the questionnaire via Email. Of 400 qualified companies, nearly 100 companies accepted to participate in research. Finally, 86 valid questionnaires were collected. Data analysis was performed using path analysis through structural equations.

The results of data analysis showed that the state of knowledge management infrastructure including cooperation, trust, learning culture, decentralization, senior management support, motivation, and IT support is not appropriate in project teams and is below average. Moreover, knowledge management processes including the components of knowledge acquisition, sharing, knowledge creation, coding, and knowledge retention are not in good condition, and their average is lower than the average. The standard is higher and in an acceptable condition. The results show that the culture of cooperation, trust, support of senior management, motivation, and IT support, which are components of knowledge management infrastructure, affect knowledge management processes which affect such elements as project team performances, namely effectiveness and innovation. Performance has a positive effect.