Behaviours that promote knowledge transfer in international construction joint ventures in developing countries: An Eswatini perspective

Abstract

The business environment is constantly evolving and is impacted by several factors ranging from political conflicts, technological disruptions, demographic changes, and regulatory challenges. To survive the turbulence in the business landscape, organisations require knowledge and the ability to effectively apply the knowledge. The fundamental asset in any organisation is knowledge which is the foundation of an entity’s competitive advantage. Knowledge is embedded in the minds of individuals, making individuals the primary source of organisational success. The volatile business landscape has driven organisations to collaborate strategically to conquer the everchanging complex and ambiguous terrain and one of the strategic partnerships that have been on the rise in the past decade are international construction joint ventures(ICJV). Globalisation has given rise to the increase of ICJVs. One of the many reasons for the formation of ICJVs is for the sharing of resources such as managerial and technical expertise. Despite tacit knowledge leading to business success, the existing literature on behaviours that promote the transfer of tacit knowledge in strategic partnerships such as ICJVs is limited. The transfer of knowledge is of great importance for productivity, innovation, and overall improvement in organisations hence there is a need for further research in this area. The study focused on identifying behaviours that promote knowledge transfer in ICJVs and determining interventions that can be introduced to reduce KT barriers and to encourage knowledge transfer in ICJVs. A qualitative interpretivist approach was utilised wherein thirteen semi structured interviews were conducted. The findings of the study lead to the development of a conceptual framework that promotes KT in ICJVs. The research has added to the body of work that has been executed in the disciplines of international business engagement and inter-organisational knowledge management, which significantly impacts organisational learning, business culture and amenity management. Management recommendations for consideration have been presented for consideration by.