Explaining the Formation Mechanism of Intrateam Knowledge Exchange Network in Offsite Construction Projects: A Social Cognitive Perspective

Abstract

Issues related to effective knowledge sharing and diffusion are pressing and have emerged in the field of offsite construction. Significant research on project-based organization knowledge management was conducted from a social network perspective, but little is known about the micromechanism underlying knowledge exchange networks. This study aims to understand social formation mechanisms in knowledge exchange networks and map patterns of intrateam knowledge exchange with a focus on the sender–receiver dyadic perspective in offsite construction projects. Based on social cognitive theory, a theoretical model is proposed that focuses on how individual cognitive and social context factors influence knowledge exchange connections. An exponential random graph model was used to explore these dynamics in two offsite construction projects in China. The study found that structural patterns of transitivity and decentralization emerge in intrateam knowledge exchange networks. The cognitive factor of knowledge self-efficacy was found to show a preferential attachment trend and was positively related to knowledge sending. Additionally, maintaining strong informal relationships and increasing task dependence among team members were found to facilitate building knowledge exchange connections. These findings provide practical project management insights into ways of promoting offsite construction knowledge diffusion in project team settings.