Barriers to Knowledge Management Capabilities of Quantity Surveying Firms in an Emerging Market

Managing knowledge to improve service delivery in business operation is becoming essential on daily basis. However, certain barriers limit the implementation of knowledge management capabilities of firms, hence this study. This paper examines sources of knowledge and barriers to knowledge management capabilities of quantity surveying firms in Oyo State, Nigeria with a view to enhancing quality service delivery. With a quantitative research approach, data were purposively collected using copies of questionnaire administered on 14 quantity surveying firms in Oyo State, Nigeria. Statistical tools use for data analysis include frequency distribution, mean score and analysis of variance. The results obtained show that these firms obtained knowledge through superior in the profession (M = 4.09), personal knowledge (M = 4.03), colleagues experience (M = 4.00), books (M = 3.97), conference and event (M = 3.97) and regular meeting attendance (M = 3.94). However, top ranked barriers hindering knowledge management capabilities of quantity surveying firms include difficulty in locating knowledge (M = 4.66), trying to solve large problems (M = 4.03), lack of cooperation amidst employees (M = 3.81), lack of effective communication amidst employees (M = 3.75), uniqueness of projects (M = 3.75) and lack of time (M = 3.71). The study concludes that cooperation and communication among employees are hindering knowledge management capabilities of quantity surveying firms.