The adoption of knowledge management has become an essential pillar of modern management in 
the entire world. Knowledge has been recognized as one of the most important assets of any 
organization, especially in a knowledge-intensive industry such as construction. The application 
of knowledge management contributes to supporting the transfer of knowledge between 
stakeholders and preventing “re-inventing the wheel". Knowledge management is a tool for 
improving organizational performance and achieving a competitive advantage. A review of the 
literature shows that there are many more challenges for small construction enterprises in 
adopting knowledge management systems compared to large enterprises. Because small 
companies play a prominent role in the contracting sector, they must strive to keep pace with the 
huge revolution in modern management and the successful application of knowledge management 
by removing obstacles to its application. This paper presents an overview to identify the obstacles 
that hinder the application of knowledge management in small construction enterprises. By 
reviewing the relevant literature, the results showed that the main obstacles associated with the 
adoption of knowledge management are lack of awareness of the concept of knowledge 
management, lack of funding, time constraints, nature of construction projects, staff resistance, 
and lack of documentation.