Professional knowledge infusion and service performance within outbound consultant-supplier interfaces in Tanzania’s construction industry: can networking and stakeholder support play cards?

Abstract

Relational view theory emphasizes the significance of networking with supply chain partners to secure access to knowledge and other scarce resources. However, despite substantial consultant-supplier interactions in Tanzania, there is limited knowledge that is infused among the Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals, which may have a negative impact on service performance. Using a survey dataset of 163 consulting service-based organisations (SBOs) in Tanzania, this study postulates and empirically examines the mediating role of knowledge infusion on the relationship between outbound knowledge networking intention, stakeholder support and service performance. The structural equation model results reveal that, while knowledge networking intention and stakeholder support exert varying positive effects on service performance, the direct and indirect effects become significant and positive when mediated by knowledge infusion. Thus, construction SBOs must reinforce their professional competencies such as embedding axiomatized knowledge and codified product specifications, in order to transform their internal capacity, attain robust decision-making, continuous improvement of human capital, innovation and (sustained) competitive advantage towards service performance.