Abstract for: The dynamics of knowledge sharing practices of project teams when encountering changes in project scopes

The impact of unexpected changes in project scope on the performance of project teams cannot be overlooked in today’s complex business environment in which project owners’ requests and expectations change constantly. Under such circumstances, project teams tend to encounter stress-inducing situations in which critical decisions must be made constantly in a timely manner based on limited information in order to ensure favorable project performance. Prior studies indicate that successful knowledge sharing practices can lead to the development of competitive advantages of a project team. Nevertheless, studies that specifically investigate knowledge sharing a in the context of managing projects with unexpected disturbances are scarce. Consequently, in this study this important issue is investigated by conducting a multiple-case study of the operations of three project teams using the approach of system dynamics modeling. The research findings indicate that multiple knowledge transfer mechanisms were used, and multiple factors were identified to have significant influences on the applications of the knowledge sharing mechanisms. The research findings can help project teams examine their abilities to harness and share critical knowledge. Future research that further examines the interrelationships between these critical factors and how they collectively influence knowledge sharing practices for ensuring project performance is encouraged.