The Cross Organisational Learning Approach for Managing Knowledge in Partnering Teams

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The Cross OrganisationalLearning Approach for
Managing Knowledge in Partnering Teams
Mike Thomas Ltd. Facilitation, Procurement and
Value Management Ocean Village, Southampton, SO14
3TB
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Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management is a combination of
management awareness, attitudes and
practices, systems, tools and techniques designed
to release the power of knowledge
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COLA
the... Cross
Organisational Learning
Approach was developed to manage knowledge...
...in Construction Partnering Teams in a DETR
/ EPSRC research project.
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The COLA Review

• Communication - Pre workshop questionnaire
  analysis plus Workshop presentation
• Organisation - Summarise comments and grouping
• Learning - Cross Organisational subgroups
  identifying what needs to be done to improve
  value
• Application - Feedback to full team and agreement
  on actions

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The COLA Review Structure

• Communication - Pre workshop questionnaire
  analysis
• Quantitative - subjective scoring
• eg How successful is the team at involving
  specialists?
• Graphical presentation in the workshop...
• Qualitative - open questions related to the
  Partnering Charter of Mutual Objectives, eg
• Identify successes arising from involving
  specialists early...
• Identify Issues to be resolved in the next six
  weeks

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The COLA Review Structure

• Organisation - Summarise comments and grouping
• Use Post-Its for individual (anonymous) comments
• Group Post-Its into Issue Areas
• Check for Cause and Effect
• Pursue Cause
• Identify a small number of Key Issue Areas

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The COLA Review Structure

• Learning - Cross Organisational subgroups
  identifying what needs to be done in Key Issue
  areas to improve value
• Identify Who does What and When,
• Quantify What Value to the team or team members

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The COLA Review Structure

• Application - Feedback to full team and agreement
  on actions
• Set review dates to check on implementation and
  actual benefit
• Agree how to communicate the action and benefit
  around the project, to the organisations and
  within the partnering arrangement

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Costs Benefits

• Costs
• Facilitation fee
• Venue
• Team members time
• Benefits
• Total Supply Team and User Involvement
• Building the Team ethos
• Clear identification of successes, issues and
  impacts
• Team consensus action on opportunities
• Clear quantification of Value enhancement
• Conscious and proactive spreading of Best
  Practices

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The Cross-Organisational Learning Approach
Project feedback Tracking action and value
Enhanced Project Value
Review Trigger
Feedback to project
Individual Organisation Knowledge
Individuals Tacit and Explicit Knowledge
COLA Review Actions
Feedback to partners
Partnering Team Acquired Knowledge
Organisational Knowledge Feedback
Recording learning, actions and effects
Future Partnered Projects