Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tacit vs. Explicit Knowledge

Should companies focus more on explicit or tacit knowledge?

As i mentioned in my previous post, explicit knowledge is information that is written down and tacit knowledge is all the information generated from past experiences stored in peoples' heads.

A focus on explicit knowledge usually leads to an emphasis on search, taxonomy (categorizing the explicit knowledge), and sometimes selection (e.g. qualifying best practices). 

A focus on tacit knowledge often requires a concentration on establishing and encouraging communities (where tactic knowledge can be shared), story telling, and the technologies and events that support them (forums, blogs, face-to-face meetings, etc.). 

Search is also important, but often focuses on people rather than documents (finding expertise rather than static information).