SUMMARY: Knowledge is increasingly being recognised as a vital organisational resource that provides
competitive advantage. Managing knowledge assets can be a challenge, especially in the construction industry,
where short-term working contracts and temporary coalitions of individuals can inhibit knowledge sharing. The
role of information technology (IT) in knowledge management (KM), is an essential consideration for any
company wishing to exploit emerging technologies to manage their knowledge assets. This paper presents
research, which has been conducted to identify the technologies that are currently used to manage knowledge in
the construction industry. The effectiveness of these technologies has also been explored, highlighting the
strengths and weaknesses of particular IT for KM. In addition, it attempts to highlight some of the challenges
and complexities associated with managing knowledge in a project-based environment. A postal questionnaire
was distributed among construction organisations in order to obtain generalisable data about the role of IT for
KM, in the construction industry. This approach was supplemented by ethnographic interviews to reveal richer
data about the nature of IT for KM, in five small, medium and large construction organisations. The research
revealed that conventional technologies, such as the telephone, are used more frequently to manage knowledge,
than more radical IT, such as Groupware or video-conferencing. In construction organisations, the potential
benefits of IT for KM, are not fully exploited and many have expressed a need for greater implementation of IT,
appropriated by sufficient training and education of staff.