Abstract

Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) China introduced straw bale buildings to China in 1999 in an effort to combat energy inefficiency. Instead of relying on traditional means of funding, ADRA China positioned the funding of the straw bale building project to take advantage of a developing global market for carbon dioxide offset credits, specifically the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The 2001 straw bale building project set out to construct 1,000 straw bale houses. Under the first Managing Director, the project was on target and there was a regular process of knowledge-sharing that benefited ADRA China organizationally. The subsequent transition to a new Managing Director resulted in numerous missteps in knowledge-sharing and organizational support, within ADRA China, that profoundly affected the overall vision and viability of the straw bale building project and the promise of sustainable financing to perpetuate the project in China.

How was knowledge-sharing within ADRA China recognized and used to further the straw bale building project by the first Managing Director? How did the subsequent transition to a new, second Managing Director compromised by knowledge-sharing and the organization’s ability to transmit information reliably and in a timely manner?

Disciplines

Human Resources Management | International Business | Management Information Systems

Share

 
COinS