Elizabeth A. Smith

Explicit knowledge – academic knowledge or ‘‘know-what’’ that is described in formal language, print or electronic media, often based on established work processes, use people-to-documents approach Tacit knowledge – practical, action-oriented knowledge or ‘‘know-how’’ based on practice, acquired by personal experience, seldom expressed openly, often resembles intuition
Work process – organized tasks, routine, orchestrated, assumes a predictable environment, linear, reuse codified knowledge, create knowledge objects Work practice – spontaneous, improvised, web-like, responds to a changing, unpredictable environment, channels individual expertise, creates knowledge
Learn – on the job, trial-and-error, self-directed in areas of greatest expertise, meet work goals and objectives set by organization Learn – supervisor or team leader facilitates and reinforces openness and trust to increase sharing of knowledge and business judgment
Teach – trainer designed using syllabus, uses formats selected by organization, based on goals and needs of the organization, may be outsourced Teach – one-on-one, mentor, internships, coach, on-the-job training, apprenticeships, competency based, brainstorm, people to people
Type of thinking – logical, based on facts, use proven methods, primarily convergent thinking Type of thinking – creative, flexible, unchartered, leads to divergent thinking, develop insights
Share knowledge – extract knowledge from person, code, store and reuse as needed for customers, e-mail, electronic discussions, forums Share knowledge – altruistic sharing, networking, face-to-face contact, videoconferencing, chatting, storytelling, personalize knowledge
Motivation – often based on need to perform to meet specific goals Motivation – inspire through leadership, vision and frequent personal contact with employees
Reward – tied to business goals, competitive within workplace, compete for scarce rewards, may not be rewarded for information sharing Reward – incorporate intrinsic or non-monetary motivators and rewards for sharing information directly, recognize creativity and innovation
Relationships – may be top-down from supervisor to subordinate or team leader to team members Relationships – open, friendly, unstructured, based on open, spontaneous sharing of knowledge
Technology – related to job, based on availability and cost, invest heavily in IT to develop professional library with hierarchy of databases using existing knowledge Technology – tool to select personalized information, facilitate conversations, exchange tacit knowledge, invest moderately in the framework of IT, enable people to find one another
Evaluation – based on tangible work accomplishments, not necessarily on creativity and knowledge sharing Evaluation – based on demonstrated performance, ongoing, spontaneous evaluation

2 thoughts on “Elizabeth A. Smith

  1. shinichi Post author

    The role of tacit and explicit knowledge in the workplace

    by Elizabeth A. Smith

    http://ww.basicknowledge101.com/pdf/KM_roles.pdf

    Tacit and explicit knowledge

    People possess slightly different types of tacit and explicit knowledge and apply their knowledge in unique ways. Individuals use different perspectives to think about problems and devise solutions. They share knowledge and group physical and intellectual assets in new and creative ways. Comparing tacit and explicit types of knowledge is a way to think, not point out differences. The above table summarizes basic ways tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge are used in the workplace, and groups major concepts underlying explicit and tacit knowledge into ten general categories.

    Tacit knowledge

    Tacit knowledge is ’’ . . . being understood without being openly expressed’’, or knowledge for which we do not have words. Tacit knowledge is automatic, requires little or no time or thought and helps determine how organizations make decisions and influence the collective behavior of their members.
    Tacit knowledge is knowing more than we can tell, or knowing how to do something without thinking about it, like ride a bicycle. This highly personal, subjective form of knowledge is usually informal and can be inferred from the statements of others. Tacit knowledge tends to be local. It is not found in manuals, books, databases or files.

    Explicit knowledge

    Most explicit knowledge is technical or academic data or information that is described in formal language, like manuals, mathematical expressions, copyright and patents. This ’’know-what,’’ or systematic knowledge is readily communicated and shared through print, electronic methods and other formal means. Explicit knowledge is technical and requires a level of academic knowledge or understanding that is gained through formal education, or structured study.

    Reply
  2. shinichi Post author

    (sk)

    暗黙知(tacit knowledge)とか形式知(explicit knowledge)とか言うけれど、私にとっては暗黙知こそが「知識」で、形式知は単なる「情報」でしかない。

    マニュアル、数式、著作権、特許などが、形式知の例としてあげられるけれど、そしてそれらは確かに誰かの知識を文字や数字にしたものではあるけれど、その文字や数字を見たからといってそれが見た人の知識になるわけではない。それらは単なる情報でしかない。

    知識はあくまでも頭の中のもの。暗黙知は体が覚えているとかいっても頭のどこかにあるわけだから知識といっていい。形式知はそれを文字や数字にした人にとっては知識だけれど、それを受け取った人にはただの情報。そう考えた方が、データ、情報、知識、知恵というモデルで考えた時には、わかりやすい。

    知識を情報として与えても、受け取る側の知識になるとは限らない。そういう意味では形式知だから共有できるというのは間違っている。

    そして、暗黙知は、形式知にしなかれば共有できないというのもおかしな話だ。暗黙知は、暗黙知のままで共有されることが多い。なんていったって、形式知にできないから暗黙知なのだから。。。

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *