Engineers Seeking Knowledge: Effect of Control Systems on Accessibility of Tacit and Codified Knowledge

Engineering and construction organizations realize that knowledge sharing between employees is essential to be competitive, yet few understand how knowledge sharing is affected by management choices. This paper examines how managerial control systems, the structures and routines used to influence organizational activities, influence knowledge accessibility, defined as the effort that one takes to request and access knowledge from another person. Specifically, this research examines and compares the effects of clan and bureaucratic control on the accessibility of tacit versus codified knowledge. The researchers propose that individuals who perceive greater clan control, or governance through common values and beliefs, will perceive greater accessibility of both tacit and codified knowledge; while individuals who perceive greater bureaucratic control, or governance through rules and procedures, will perceive increase in codified knowledge only. To test the role of alignment between control systems and knowledge types in affecting knowledge accessibility, a questionnaire was administered to all engineers located in North America (855 people) within one engineering organization, and data collected from 298 responses were analyzed using linear regression analysis. The results in this research improve our understanding of knowledge accessibility and is an important step toward integrating control systems, knowledge type, and knowledge accessibility.