Organisational learning problems and implementation concerns in project-based organisations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the organisational learning problems and implementation concerns in project-based organisations. The study aims to understand why the problems concerning learning and knowledge management are repeated in every project, reveal the barriers to learning from previous projects and barriers to implementing organisational learning (OL), and describe the practices that can improve OL in the organisation. Fifteen structured interviews were conducted to investigate OL in project-based organisations. The results were classified based on the controllability into internal and external problems and barriers, and the suggested OL improvement practices were grouped in the multilevel 4I framework. The study concluded the importance of building a culture for knowledge sharing and providing an environment of trust and motivation to support OL. Finally, the paper suggests a framework that can be implemented by project-based organisations to examine their OL and to suggest OL strategies that fit their resources and capabilities.