Bridging the knowledge gap

Abstract

The infrastructure of the Netherlands is mostly built in the 1950s and 1960s and is approaching the end of its theoretical lifespan of 80 to 100 years. Due to more intensive use and increased traffic loads many bridges need to be renovated or replaced. National and regional infrastructure managers, such as Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, provinces, municipalities, and regional water authorities, are tasked with managing these assets with an estimated replacement and renovation cost of 170 billion euros until 2100, potentially reaching 260 billion euros. To first get an insight however into the state of the bridges in the Netherlands, these bridges need to be constructively recalculated.
This research considers practical challenges and solutions related to knowledge management within an inter-organisational programmatic approach for the replacement and renovation of bridges in the Netherlands. This research therefore considers the 'bureau herberekeningen': a recalculation programme organised by Rijkswaterstaat in which ten engineering firms are involved for the recalculations of more than 250 steel, concrete, and moveable bridges. This research aims to inform on what a programmatic approach can consist of, identify possible challenges related to knowledge management in an inter-organisational programmatic approach, and advice on overcoming these challenges.
A literature study was conducted on three topics: the programmatic approach, knowledge management, and inter-organisational collaboration. The programmatic approach is defined as a combination of related projects managed together to achieve benefits and objectives that cannot be obtained by individual projects. The organisation of a program must consider the interrelation of projects, their characteristics, and the nature of the involved organisations. This results in the need for a programme management office for governance and adaptation. Knowledge management at the programme level involves organising activities and systems to facilitate the identification, storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of knowledge, incorporating both social and codified approaches. Network governance is recommended to support the relations in inter-organisational collaboration, focusing on relationships between programme and project managers, the programme and organisational strategy, and among individual projects, while considering the importance of trust, communication, and collaboration.
The empirical study, conducted in collaboration with the Dutch engineering firm Witteveen+Bos, reveals several critical insights. Key challenges include the need for improved collaboration and communication, overcoming competitive barriers to knowledge sharing, and ensuring efficient and less detailed assignment descriptions to maintain project momentum. The study also highlights the importance of fostering a culture of openness, reciprocity, and trust among involved parties to facilitate effective knowledge management.
The findings suggest that the programmatic approach, when combined with knowledge management, can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of recalculations. Recommendations include using technical assessments between engineering firms for knowledge sharing, organising regular collaboration days, and ensuring the pace and bundling of project assignments to make optimal use of the relations between projects.