ABSTRACT
Methods to collect data in construction engineering and management (CEM) research are evolving, informed by recent technological advancements. One such method is research charrettes that allow effective interactions and knowledge sharing between expert industry practitioners and academic researchers, all colocated in a single venue, enabling rich data collection and live communication. A pivot point in technological evolution occurred with the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing a global shift to remote work. Hence, planned in-person research charrettes had to shift to remote sessions, relying on virtual conferencing platforms and online data collection mechanisms. Technology-enabled charrettes have allowed the authors to collect significantly richer data sets and ensure a more diverse representation of participants, while saving tremendous amounts of time. With the continuing emergence of technological applications, the world might not go back to functioning fully in person. The authors believe remote research charrettes (RRCs) will still be used in a post-COVID-19 world because of their superior performance. This paper builds on a previous publication that described traditional research charrettes as a method to enhance CEM research a decade ago;it offers a significantly updated and improved RRC method based on the knowledge gained from transitioning a dozen in-person charrettes into RRCs. It also presents performance comparisons between RRCs and traditional charrettes by quantifying metrics indicating how RRCs are more time-efficient and cost-saving, harness more participants from more diverse locations, and enable the collection of richer data sets and four times more industry comments and expert feedback. This paper also provides guidance on the integration of technology with traditional research charrettes, hence contributing to the CEM body of knowledge. © 2022 This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.
ABSTRACT
According to a report by S&P Global (2020), more than 2/3 of companies worldwide shifted to a work-from-home strategy due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The imposed remote form of communication renders knowledge sharing among colleagues challenging. Previous studies tackled the process of knowledge sharing but failed to assess the effect of a sudden emergency leading to remote work. To fill this gap, this paper proposes an integrated methodology to understand how the transition to a virtual work setting affects the knowledge sharing process and drivers. A survey targeting engineering companies is used to capture the work-from-home experience. The survey focuses on personal and external drivers affecting knowledge sharing intention, behavior, and outcomes. Personal drivers include motivation, enhanced personal relationships, and knowledge feedback. External drivers focus on the effectiveness of information and communication technology (ICT) in facilitating knowledge transfer. The results show that traditional factors such as enhanced personal relationships become less influential in remote work environments while ICT becomes more appealing. Incorporating these preliminary results with advanced statistical studies will enable companies to plan and implement strategies to foster knowledge sharing in different environments.