An investigation into the management of knowledge in a historic building conservation organisation in Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

In recent years, knowledge has been recognised as a core organisational resource. Scholars and charters in the field of historic buildings conservation stress the development of the knowledge of staff and organisations in this field. Because of the value of HBs, their conservation work should use all the knowledge available and this work should only be undertaken by those with the appropriate knowledge and skills. This research is concerned with studying the management of knowledge in historic building (HB) conservation organisations. The research aimed to investigate the concept of knowledge management (KM), and to develop a theoretical framework for studying and understanding KM in HB conservation organisations. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were pursued: (a) investigate the concept of KM in organisations; (b) study HBs and identify the key issues involved in their conservation; (c) investigate the extent of knowledge importance and availability in the HB organisations such as Management of Historic Cities Bureau (MHCB); (d) study the factors that affect managing knowledge in the MHCB; (e) analyse the current conditions for dealing with knowledge in the MHCB; (f) draw out key findings and identify the strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats in managing the MHCB’s knowledge and, finally, develop a framework for studying KM in HB conservation organisations and suggest recommendations for effective KM in the MHCB and similar organisations. A mixed approach of qualitative and quantitative research for collecting and analysing data and information was adopted. Multi-methods were used for collecting data: literature reviews, interviews, questionnaires, observation and analysing organisational documents. Validation was undertaken by cross-checking the fieldwork findings against the wider literature. The findings demonstrated that the factors affected KM in organisations include: organisational structure, ICT, the culture of collaboration, regulations and policies, changes in the organisation’s accountability which lead to a change in its role and the need for different knowledge, and cultural/religious reasons regarding the separation of genders in the work place, which affects informal knowledge sharing activities. However, the main factors which differentiate KM in HB conservation organisations from other organisations are: type of knowledge, which includes the cultural value of HBs; dealing with external experts and organisations for acquiring and exchanging knowledge regarding HBs and their conservation, and the role of the proximity of the organisation’s headquarters to HBs in acquiring knowledge through monitoring HBs. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated that the balance between people-based and explicit knowledge-based KM approaches is required to effectively manage knowledge in organisations. This research presents a framework for studying and understanding KM in organisations when used in HBs conservation organisations. It considered both approaches and demonstrated several factors that influence the management of knowledge in the MHCB context. Finally, the research provides a base reference for studying and understanding KM in organisations and provides recommendations to enable decision makers in the MHCB and similar institutions to apply effective KM to improve their organisations’ performance.