TACIT KNOWLEDGE is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to

another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it. While tacit knowledge
appears to be simple, it has far-reaching consequences and is not widely understood.

DEFINITION
The term “tacit knowing” or “tacit knowledge” was first introduced into philosophy by
Michael Polanyi in 1958 in his magnum opus Personal Knowledge. He famously
summarizes the idea in his later work The Tacit Dimension with the assertion that “we
can know more than we can tell.” According to him, not only is there knowledge that
cannot be adequately articulated by verbal means, but also all knowledge is rooted in
tacit knowledge in the strong sense of that term.

With tacit knowledge, people are not often aware of the knowledge they possess or how
it can be valuable to others. Effective transfer of tacit knowledge generally requires
extensive personal contact, regular interaction and trust. This kind of knowledge can
only be revealed through practice in a particular context and transmitted through social
networks. To some extent it is "captured" when the knowledge holder joins a network or
a community of practice.

Some examples of daily activities and tacit knowledge are: riding a bike, playing the
piano, driving a car, and hitting a nail with a hammer.

The formal knowledge of how to ride a bicycle is that in order to balance, if the bike falls
to the left, one steers to the left. To turn right the rider first steers to the left, and then
when the bike falls right, the rider steers to the right. You may know explicitly how
turning of the handle bars or steering wheel change the direction of a bike or car, but
you cannot simultaneously focus on this and at the same time orient yourself in traffic.

Similarly, you may know explicitly how to hold the handle of a hammer, but you cannot
simultaneously focus on the handle and hit the nail correctly with the hammer. The
master pianist can perform brilliantly, but if he begins to concentrate on the movements
of his fingers instead of the music, he will not be able to play as a master. Knowing the
explicit knowledge, however, is no help in riding a bicycle, doesn’t help in performing
well in the tasks since few people are aware of it when performing and few riders are in
fact aware of this.

Tacit knowledge is not easily shared. Although it is that which is used by all people, it is
not necessarily able to be easily articulated. It consists of beliefs, ideals, values,
schemata and mental models which are deeply ingrained in us and which we often take
for granted. While difficult to articulate, this cognitive dimension of tacit knowledge
shapes the way we perceive the world.
In the field of knowledge management, the concept of tacit knowledge refers to a
knowledge possessed only by an individual and difficult to communicate to others via
words and symbols. Therefore, an individual can acquire tacit knowledge without
language. Apprentices, for example, work with their mentors and learn craftsmanship
not through language but by observation, imitation, and practice.

The key to acquiring tacit knowledge is experience. Without some form of shared
experience, it is extremely difficult for people to share each other's thinking processes.

Tacit knowledge has been described as “know-how” – as opposed to “know-that”

(facts). This distinction is usually taken to date back to a paper by Gilbert Ryle, given to
the Aristotelian society in London in 1945. In this paper Ryle argues against the
(intellectualist) position that all knowledge is knowledge of propositions ("know-that"),
and the view that some knowledge can only be defined as "know-how" has therefore, in
some contexts, come to be called "anti-intellectualist". There are further distinctions:
“know-why” (science), or “know-who” (networking).Tacit knowledge involves learning
and skill but not in a way that can be written down. On this account knowing-how or
embodied knowledge is characteristic of the expert, who acts, makes judgments, and so
forth without explicitly reflecting on the principles or rules involved. The expert works
without having a theory of his or her work; he or she just performs skillfully without
deliberation or focused attention.

Tacit knowledge vs. explicit knowledge: Although it is possible to distinguish

conceptually between explicit and tacit knowledge, they are not separate and discrete in
practice. The interaction between these two modes of knowing is vital for the creation of
new knowledge.
FEATURES OF TACIT KNOWLEDGE
 Tacit knowledge is regarded as valuable source of knowledge, and the most
likely to lead to breakthrough in the organization.
 Link between lack of focus on tacit knowledge and reduced capability for
innovation and sustained competitiveness.
 KMS have a very hard time handling this type of knowledge.
 Tacit knowledge is found in: the minds of human stakeholders. It includes cultural
beliefs, values, attitudes, mental modela, etc. as well as skills, capabilities and
expertise.

DIFFERENCES WITH EXPLICIT KNOWLEDGE

Tacit knowledge can be distinguished from explicit knowledgein three major areas:

 Codifiability and mechanism of transferring knowledge: while explicit

knowledge can be codified, and easily transferred without the knowing subject,
tacit knowledge is intuitive and unarticulated knowledge that cannot be
communicated, understood or used without the ‘knowing subject’. Unlike the
transfer of explicit knowledge, the transfer of tacit knowledge requires close
interaction and the buildup of shared understanding and trust among them.
 Main methods for the acquisition and accumulation: Explicit knowledge can
be generated through logical deduction and acquired through practical
experience in the relevant context. In contrast, tacit knowledge can only be
acquired through practical experience in the relevant context.
 Potential of aggregation and modes of appropriation: Explicit knowledge can
be aggregated at a single location, stored in objective forms and appropriated
without the participation of the knowing subject. Tacit knowledge in contrast, is
personal contextual. It is distributive, and cannot easily be aggregated. The
realization of its full potential requires the close involvement and cooperation of
the knowing subject.

The process of transforming tacit knowledge into explicit or specifiable knowledge is

known as codification, articulation, or specification. The tacit aspects of knowledge are
those that cannot be codified, but can only be transmitted via training or gained through
personal experience. There is a view against the distinction, where it is believed that all
propositional knowledge (knowledge that) is ultimately reducible to practical knowledge
(knowledge how).
 4 TIPS TO MANAGING TACIT KNOWLEDGE

2. focus on
1.mentor new
employee
employees
retention

3.provide
4. document
opportunities
all processes
to share

1. Mentor New Employees

Assign a mentor to new employees. This can be part of a new employee

orientation process and the new hire acclimation period. New employee mentors
can help transfer that knowledge and develop relationships that can capture new
perspectives. Understanding a new employee experience can help provide
important information on best practices for orienting new people to the
organization.

2. Focus on Employee Retention

It is important to have an employee retention plan. It is expensive to recruit, hire

and train new employees, so the most cost effective way is to retain good
employees which can help sustain a strong tacit knowledge base.

3. Provide Opportunities to Share

Provide employees with opportunities to share experiences. This can be as

informal as weekly staff meetings or as formal as annual employee events. The more
employees share with each other their experience and lessons learned, the more an
organization is able to capture this valuable knowledge.
 4. Document All Processes

It is important for all work processes and systems to be documented with written
policies and procedures. This is important because some seemingly unimportant tasks
may be significant to the customer service experience. There are ways to automate this
process but it is important to have very detailed and written process steps for every job.

In a world where employees don’t experience the same tenure as earlier generations,
losing tacit knowledge can have an impact on organizations that are strong in culture
and tradition. Tacit knowledge can offer a competitive advantage because competitors
will have a difficult time replicating it. It makes up the inner workings of the organization,
how it thinks, how it responds, how it does, how it gets along, how it cares – it is the
culture.

ADVANTAGES OF TACIT KNOWLEDGE

1. It is a relatively easy and inexpensive way to begin managing knowledge.
2. Managers can then use this knowledge to assign individuals to key tasks or to
compose teams with appropriate sets of knowledge to carry out a project, to
improve performance in current processes, or try to create new knowledge in the
organization.
3. A tacit knowledge approach may also lead to improvements in employee
satisfaction and motivation when an organization “ officially” recognizes and
makes visible in the organization.
4. Tacit knowledge approach is likely to avoid some of the practical and
motivational difficulties that may be encountered in trying to secure the
cooperation of individuals in making their knowledge explicit.
5. Knowledge in tacit form also helps to protect a firm’s proprietary knowledge from
diffusing to competing organizations.

LIMITATIONS OF TACIT KNOWLEDGE

1. One of the main limitations of this approach is that individuals in an
organization may claim to have knowledge that they do not actually have or
may claim to be more knowledgeable than they really are.
2. Moving people is often costly and time consuming. Even when
knowledgeable individuals are willing tio be moved, an individual can only be
in one place at a time.
3. Sometimes individual working in an organization possess vast knowledge of
working and when they shifted to some other organizations then their
knowledge possess less value.
CAPTURING TACIT KNOWLEDGE
What is knowledge capture

 A process by which the expert’s thoughts and experiences are captured

 A knowledge developer collaborates with an expert to convert expertise into a

coded program

In simple terms, we want to “know” how experts know what they know. Knowledge
capture is a demanding mental process converting expertise into a coded program.
Culture can be an irritant and age, race, and gender can be problematic.

Three important steps are involved

 Use an appropriate tool or technique to elicit information from the expert

 Interpret the information and infer the expert’s knowledge and reasoning process

 Use the interpretation to build rules that represent expert’s solutions

Several suggestions are used to improve knowledge capture

 Focus on how experts approach a problem

 Look beyond the facts or the heuristics

 Re-evaluate how well the problem domain is understood

 How accurate the problem is modeled

CAPTURING TACIT KNOWLEDGE

Expert tacit Interview

knowledge

Single expert Multiple experts

CAPTURING SINGLE EXPERT TACIT KNOWLEDGE
For certain complex problems, a prime consideration is whether to capture one
expert or a panel. Such a decision is based on several factors: potential impact of
the problem, critically of the project to the business, types of experts available, and
funds allocated for building the KM system.

CAPTURING MULTIPLE EXPERT TACIT KNOWLEDGE

Capturing tacit knowledge from a team of experts.

Advantages and drawbacks of using single and multiple experts

SINGLE EXPERT MULTIPLE EXPERT
Advantages Advantages
1. Ideal for building a simple domain 1. Works best for complex problem
KM system. domains
2. Works well for problems in a 2. Stimulates interaction and
restricted domain. synthesis of experience.
3. Simplifies logistical issues 3. Presents a variety of views
4. Increases the probability of allowing for alternative
resolving conflicts. representations of tacit knowledge
5. Decreases risks to confidentially 4. Generates more thoughtful
Disadvantages contributions
1. Not easy to capture an expert’s Disadvantages
tacit knowledge. 1. Creates scheduling difficulties
2. Provides only a single line of 2. Increases the probability of
reasoning. disagreement
3. Increases the chance of schedule 3. Raises confidentiality issues
changes. 4. Requires more than one
4. Does not accommodate dispersed knowledge developer
knowledge. 5. Leads to a “process loss” in
determining a solution.

THE INTERVIEW AS A TOOL

 Interviewing as a tool requires training and preparation

 Convenient tool for evaluating the validity of information acquired

 Interviewing as a tool requires training and preparation

  Convenient tool for evaluating the validity of information acquired

Advantages and drawbacks of using interview

Advantages

1. Flexibility makes it a superior tool for exploring areas about which not much is
known concerning what questions to ask or how to formulate questions.
2. Offers a better opportunity than any other tool for evaluating the validity of
information acquired.
3. An effective technique for eliciting information about complex subjects and for
probing an individual’s sentiments underlying expressed opinions.
4. Many people enjoy being interviewed, regardless of the subject. They usually
cooperate when all they have to do is talk.

Drawbacks

1. The major drawback to interviewing is the cost involved in preparation time .

2. It also take a lot of time to conduct.
3. Whenever a more economical way of capturing the same knowledge is available,
the interview is generally not used.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW
1.Structured: Questions and responses are definitive. Used when specific information
is sought.

2.Semi-structured: Predefined questions are asked but allow expert some freedom in
expressing the answers.

3.Unstructured: Neither the questions nor their responses specified in advance. Used
when exploring an issue.

GUIDE TO A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW

 Set the stage and establish rapport

 Properly phrase the questions

 Question construction is important

 Listen closely and avoid arguments

 Evaluate session outcomes

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING THE INTERVIEW
 Response bias: a response bias occurs when experts answer questions on the
basis of their interpretation of the question and in response to certain constraints:
running short on time, lack of motivation, perceived hostility, attempting to please
the knowledge developer, and so on.

 Inconsistency: the headache of inconsistency is most likely to occur when the

knowledge developer interviews two domain experts and is inconsistent when
asking the questions.

 Communication difficulties: not everyone has a knack for explaining things.

The knowledge developer may need to resort to analogies or other tools to
stimulate the expert’s thought process.

 Hostile attitude: nothing is more problematic to an interview than hostility. Bad

chemistry between the expert and the knowledge developer, an expert’s “forced”
participation, or time wasted repeating obvious points are threats to the integrity
of the prospective system. There are no quick fixes for turning the interview
around.

 Standardized questions: on the surface, standardizing questions does not

appear difficult. Yet, even if the wording is same, the way the question is asked,
the tone of voice, and the facial expression can elicit a different response.

 Lengthy questions: no rules provide the ideal number of questions or duration

of an interview. Much depends on the availability of the expert, the agenda of the
knowledge developer, and the constraints surrounding the project.

BARRIERS TO THE SHARING OF TACIT KNOWLEDGE

i. Hierarchies , when they implicitly assume wisdom accrues to those with the most
impressive organizational titles.
ii. Strong preferences for analysis over institution discouraging employees to offer
ideas without “hard facts” to back it up.
iii. Penalties for failure discouraging experimentation.
iv. Strong preferences for a particular type of communication within working groups.
v. Fear of failing to express the inexpressible when trying to convert tacit knowledge
into explicit one.
vi. Uneasiness of expressing emotional life experiences rather than intellectual
disagreements.
vii. Inequality in status among the participants is a strong inhibitor for tacit knowledge
sharing, especially when exacerbated by different frameworks for assessing
information.
viii. Distance, both physical separation and time.
Overlapping specific, collectively, and guiding – need to be managed.