 EXPLICIT
AND TACIT KNOWLEDGE |
| Explicit
and Tacit |
Explicit
Knowledge
Explicit
knowledge is codified, and
-
can be precisely and formally articulated
-
is easy to codify, document, transfer, share, and communicate
Its
ready accessibility has lead to many ways of using it as a
management tool. This is shown in the following quote (Radcliffe-Martin,
Coakes and Sugden 2000):
"Explicit
knowledge is increasingly being emphasised in both practice
and literature, as a management tool to be exploited for the
manipulation of organisational knowledge. Groupware, intranets,
list servers, knowledge repositories, database management
and knowledge action networks allow the sharing of organisational
knowledge (Scarbrough et al. 1999). Merali states that tools
such as co-ordinated databases, groupware systems, intranets
and internets are seen as the ultimate knowledge management
systems for initiating and supporting discussion forums and
communities of practice (1999). Managers hope that these tools
will retain knowledge within the company when employees have
left, and also that this will encourage learning and the flourishing
of communities of interest across functional boundaries."
However,
it is worth considering whether use of an intra-organisational
intranet for example really manages knowledge or merely provides
a means of disseminating information about the organisation
in much the same way that a staff handbook used to do.
According
to Pan and Scarbrough "Explicit is systematic and easily
communicated in the form of hard data or codified procedures.
It can be articulated in formal language including grammatical
statements. This kind of knowledge can thus be transmitted
across individuals formally and easily. Tacit knowledge is
not available as a text and may conveniently be regarded as
residing in the heads of those working in a particular organisational
context. It involves intangible factors embedded in personal
beliefs, experiences, and values." (1999 p 362)
'While
tacit knowledge can be possessed by itself, explcicit knowledge
must rely on being tacitly understood and applied, hence all
knowledge is either tacit or rooted in tacit knowledge. A
wholly explicit knowledge is unthinkable ' according to Polanyi
(1966).
Tacit
knowledge
Tacit
knowledge is generally described as:
- subconsciously
understood or applied
- difficult
to articulate
- developed
from direct action and experience
- shared
through conversation, story-telling etc
Polanyi
(1966) saying that it is personal, context-specific and therefore
difficult to articulate. It may be compared to skill acquisition
for example swimming. It may be possible to read the 'how-to'
manual but such manuals do not embody the full reality of
the experience in context. For instance swimming in a pool
is very different from swimming in the sea.
According
to Pan and Scarbrough (1999 p362) "Tacit knowledge is
not available as a text. . . .It involves intangible factors
embedded in personal beliefs, experiences, and values."
Nonaka
and Takeuchi (1995) refer to tacit knowledge as knowledge
that comprises experience and work knowledge that resides
only with the individual.
Platts
and Yeung (2000) considers tacit knowledge as "knowledge-in-action"
which presumes that this is knowledge that has not be articulated
as opposed to explicit knowledge that is readily accessible
within the organisational domain.
Blumentitt
et al (1999) contend that information can be captured and
stored in digital form whereas tacit knowledge repositories
reside only in intelligent systems, that is within individuals.
Research
on tacit knowledge is motivated by the belief that much of
what makes people successful in their tasks is implicit knowledge.
Implicit knowledge is difficult to define scientifically but
the study of it has connections with the field of anthropology.
The result being that social, cultural, communicational and
structural factors as well as technological (supporting technology),
ethical (and moral), educational and social contractual factors
are of relevance to a discussion of Knowledge Management.
Organisational changes become evident in order to support
the sharing of knowledge but with organisational changes come
the implications of these changes in culture and social contracts.
Organisations will face organisational inhibitors and information
gatekeepers when they attempt change. Knowledge (or information)
is still regarded in many organisations as a source of power.
Additionally, many members of organisations are already working
in, to their minds, a situation of information overload, with
too many emails coming in and too much data on the WWW to
sift through. A knowledge management programme just seems
to them, to be adding yet another information overload scenario.
Refs:
- Blumentitt
R and Johnston R (1999) Towards a strategy for knowledge
management Technology Analysis & Strategic Management
11, 287-300
- Merali
Y (1999) Informed Decisions People Management June
- Nonaka
I and Takeuchi M (1995) The Knowledge Creating Company
– How Japaness Companies Create the Dynamics of Innovation
Oxford: The Oxford University Press
- Pan
SL and Scarbrough H (1999) Knowledge Management in Practice:
An Exploratory Case Study of Buckman Labs Technology
Analysis and Strategic Management 11(3) 359-74
- Platts,
M.J., Yeung, M.B (2000) Managing learning and tacit knowledge
Strategic Change (UK) 09 06 pp347-356
- Polanyi
M The Tacit Dimension Routledge Keegan Paul
- Radcliffe-Martin
V, Coakes E and Sugden G (2000) Knowledge Management Issues
in Universities Vine 121 pp14-18
- Scarborough,H.,
Swan, J., Preston, J (1999) Knowledge Management: a Literature
Review: Issues in People Management London:Institute
of Personnel and Development
There is also a
map available for the Knowledge Management
Review section
|
