Tacit

Tacit knowledge is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it. It is a form of knowledge that is highly personal and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate or share with others. Tacit knowledge is considered more valuable because it provides context for people, places, ideas, and experiences.

Overview

Tacit knowledge is not easily visible and expressible. It is highly personal and hard to formalize, making it difficult to communicate or share with others. This type of knowledge is deeply rooted in an individual's actions and experiences, as well as in the ideals, values, or emotions he or she embraces.

Characteristics

Tacit knowledge is characterized by the following:

• It is non-verbalizable, intuitive, and unarticulated.
• It is learned through practice and experience.
• It is context-specific and personal in nature.
• It is hard to formalize and communicate.

Types of Tacit Knowledge

There are two types of tacit knowledge:

• Technical tacit knowledge - This encompasses the kind of 'know-how' that is manifested in a particular worker's skills and abilities.
• Cognitive tacit knowledge - This includes beliefs, perceptions, ideals, values, emotions and mental models so ingrained in us that we take them for granted.

Importance of Tacit Knowledge

Tacit knowledge is considered more valuable because it provides context for people, places, ideas, and experiences. It is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it.

See Also

• Explicit knowledge
• Knowledge management
• Knowledge transfer
• Organizational knowledge

References

Tacit Resources
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