The Implications of Tacit Knowledge Research for Organizations

P. Busch and D. Richards (Australia)

Keywords

Tacit knowledge, technology, social networks, knowledge diffusion

Abstract

With the growing realization that tacit knowledge is at least as important as codified knowledge, it is in the interest of organizations to manage their tacit knowledge resources and not to focus solely on the codified knowledge component in order to gain that competitive advantage. To that end we have been exploring the phenomena of tacit knowledge. Through a number of case studies we have found that the parameters conducive to tacit knowledge transfer include intimate meetings, lack of electronic communication and repeated contact. Such findings have ramifications for organization structure and management suggesting that when it comes to tacit knowledge large organizations may be at a disadvantage to small cottage style industries.

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