‘Ba’ for effective knowledge management

Abstract

This study aims to explore what design of ‘ba’, the Japanese concept which translates into ‘place’ or ‘space’ in English, facilitates effective knowledge creation in construction organisations. Although many scholars have investigated the field of knowledge management in construction organisations, few have focused on ‘ba’, where the knowledge creation process takes place (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 1998). ‘Ba’ is defined as ‘a shared context in which knowledge is shared, created and utilised (Nonaka et al., 2000)’, and ‘ba’ can be physical (e.g. meeting rooms), virtual (e.g. e-mails), and even mental space (e.g. shared values). Although ‘ba’ has been recognised as the essential part of knowledge creation, it is not fully clear what design of ‘ba’ can facilitate organisational knowledge creation better due to its ambiguity and intractability. Moreover, new ICT tools have emerged and used for ‘ba’ since the concept was first introduced in the 1990s, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the use of virtual environments in business. Also, few examined the impact of individuals’ traits such as generational differences in values and Belbin team roles on ‘ba’. Therefore, exploring ‘ba’ in accordance with the above aspects can contribute to enhancing knowledge creation in organisations.
This research is divided into three parts: literature study, qualitative data collection and analysis, and recommendations. In the literature study, the conceptual model of ‘ba’ is reconstructed based on the extant literature in order to clarify the nature of ‘ba’. The model suggests the nature of ‘ba’ is “a shared space given meaning by inter-subjective relationships and inter-corporeal relationships”. Moreover, the four categories of enabling conditions that stimulate ‘ba’ are identified, namely social/behavioural, cognitive/epistemic, information systems, and strategy/structure.
Subsequently, the empirical data obtained by semi-structured interviews with East Japan Railway Company show both physical and virtual ‘ba’ are used in the organisation. Comparing physical ‘ba’ with virtual ‘ba’, most informants described that physical ‘ba’ that allows face-to-face communication is appropriate for knowledge creation activities. Sharing the physical space allows participants to convey their ideas adequately with inter-corporeal interaction. As the construction industry heavily depends on tacit knowledge due to its intrinsic nature, the environment where tacit knowledge conversion is easily taken place is considered effective for knowledge creation. Also, focusing on individuals’ characteristics specifically generation differences and Belbin orientation, these variables do not affect the perception of ‘ba’ that facilitates knowledge creation. On the other hand, organisational tenure may indirectly influence the perception of ‘ba’ since most of the interviewees have worked for a long time within the same organisation and the organisation’s values and philosophy can be steeped in their minds as their tenures increased.
Finally, recommendations were developed to facilitate the knowledge-creating process by combining the results of the literature study and empirical study. The following three key recommendations were proposed: design 'ba' with corporeality; complement the lack of corporeality; Clarify the meaning of ‘ba’.