Abstract
Implementation of the building construction projects is done by workers with diverse knowledge. The knowledge diversity can either be beneficial or detrimental to the implementation process. Out of the 50 building construction projects implemented by Kajiado county government in the financial year 2016/2017, 24 were not successfully implemented. This study sought to determine the influence of project team knowledge diversity on the implementation of building construction projects. The study used a pragmatism paradigm as well as a correlational research design and a sample of 251 respondents. Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires, interview guides, and observation. Quantitative data was analysed for means and standard deviation as well as inferential techniques for correlation and regression while hypothesis was tested using ANOVA. Qualitative data was thematically analysed and the results triangulated with the quantitative results for presentation. The results indicated the existence of a positive correlation (r=0.323)  between project team knowledge diversity and implementation of building construction projects. It was also established that 10.4% of the variations in implementation of the building construction projects are attributable to project team knowledge diversity R2=0.104 . The null hypothesis project team knowledge diversity has no significant influence on implementation of building construction projects was rejected based on F1,219=25.522, p=0.0000<0.05.  It was concluded that project team knowledge diversity has a significant influence on implementation of building construction projects. The study recommends that recruitment into project teams for implementation of building construction projects should consider people with diverse knowledge backgrounds since they complement each other’s competencies.
Highlights
The building construction industry plays a key role in economic development since it is linked to several areas of the economy
The response rate for the sample was computed as 88.04%, this was considered to be sufficient for analysis and statistical generalization
The objective of the study was to determine whether diversity of knowledge in project team members influenced the process of implementation of building construction projects
Summary
The building construction industry plays a key role in economic development since it is linked to several areas of the economy. The last few years have seen an increase in the number of studies on the effect of project team knowledge diversity on the implementation construction projects. There have been mixed results with respect to the interactions between project team knowledge diversity and implementation of construction projects. Some studies have indicated that knowledge diversity among project team members can result in introduction of new knowledge and enhance the process of implementation (Chan et al, 2017) while others such as Lovelace and Shapiro (2001) indicate a negative relationship between project team knowledge diversity and performance of construction projects, in that the diversity could lead to conflict among the project members and be detrimental to the implementation of the construction projects Some researchers such as Jetten et al, (1998) claimed an inverted U-shaped kind of relationship existed between project team knowledge diversity and implementation of construction of projects
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