Tacit Knowledge free essay sample

What is Knowledge? â€Å"Knowledge is information that changes something or somebody — either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different or more effective action. † — Peter F. Drucker in The New Realities. There are several types of knowledge, but this paper is going to specifically discuss Tacit Knowledge. Tacit knowledge is basically personal knowledge. It is defined as the personal knowedge implanted in one’s indiviual experience and involves intangible factors. Such factors include personal belief , one’s perspective and generally the value system. It is also known to be the type of knowledge that is difficult to transfer from one person to another simply by writing it down or verbalising it. Tacit knowledge in the field of Knowledge Management is regarded as knowledge which is only known by an individual and is usually difficult to articulate into formal language and to express, since it is based on personal intuition, hunches, and insights. We will write a custom essay sample on Tacit Knowledge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, it must be converted into words, models and numbers that could be grasped, understood and identified or picked up by training or gained via personal experience. One example of tacit knowledge is the notion of language itself. It is not possible to learn a language just by being taught the rules of grammar. A native speaker picks it up at a young age being almost entirely oblivious of the formal grammar which she or he may be taught later. Another example is how to ride a bike; this can only be acquired through personal experimentation. There are two dimensions to tacit knowledge which are:- The technical dimension: this dimension consists of the informal skills that often come with experience, this falls under the term â€Å"know-how† since it is gained after several years of technical experience. An example is the expertise of a craftsman. The skills are obtained over years of experience. The craftsman faces difficulty in delivering or explaining the technical or scientific principles of his craft. Highly subjective and personal inspirations derived from bodily experience make up this dimension. Cognitive dimension: this dimension is composed of the beliefs, values, perceptions, ideals, emotions and mental models that are so engraved in an individual that are taken for granted. This dimension, though hard to articulate, shapes the way we perceive the world around us. Moreover, there is the socialization process(tacit to tacit) used as a means of transfer of tacit knowledge which is the process of sharing experience to create tacit knowledge such as shared mental knowledge and technical skills. This process includes imitation, practice and observation. However, ‘Experience’ is the fundamental here which is why the transfer of tacit knowledge merely often makes little sense to the receiver end. It will take years of their own experience to really grasp the knowledge. Additionally, there are three approaches to which tacit knowledge may be achieved from groups and individuals. 1. Interviewing experts, by recording organizational stories. 2. Learning by being told, is simply constructed by interviewing or by task analysis(the process of breaking down the policy and analyzing what needs to be done in order to complete the task) 3. Learning by observation, which can be done by presenting the expert with a sample scenario, problem, case study and then examining the process and steps taken to work out the problem. As I’ve explained, all these measures should be taken in order to transfer tacit knowledge into reusable explicit knowledge, which is knowledge that is easier to communicate and perceive. Tacit Knowledge free essay sample â€Å"Knowledge is information that changes something or somebody — either by becoming grounds for actions, or by making an individual (or an institution) capable of different or more effective action. † — Peter F. Drucker in The New Realities. There are several types of knowledge, but this paper is going to specifically discuss Tacit Knowledge. Tacit knowledge is basically personal knowledge. It is defined as the personal knowedge implanted in one’s indiviual experience and involves intangible factors. Such factors include personal belief , one’s perspective and generally the value system. It is also known to be the type of knowledge that is difficult to transfer from one person to another simply by writing it down or verbalising it. Tacit knowledge in the field of Knowledge Management is regarded as knowledge which is only known by an individual and is usually difficult to articulate into formal language and to express, since it is based on personal intuition, hunches, and insights. We will write a custom essay sample on Tacit Knowledge or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, it must be converted into words, models and numbers that could be grasped, understood and identified or picked up by training or gained via personal experience. One example of tacit knowledge is the notion of language itself. It is not possible to learn a language just by being taught the rules of grammar. A native speaker picks it up at a young age being almost entirely oblivious of the formal grammar which she or he may be taught later. Another example is how to ride a bike; this can only be acquired through personal experimentation. There are two dimensions to tacit knowledge which are:- The technical dimension: this dimension consists of the informal skills that often come with experience, this falls under the term â€Å"know-how† since it is gained after several years of technical experience. An example is the expertise of a craftsman. The skills are obtained over years of experience. The craftsman faces difficulty in delivering or explaining the technical or scientific principles of his craft. Highly subjective and personal inspirations derived from bodily experience make up this dimension. Cognitive dimension: this dimension is composed of the beliefs, values, perceptions, ideals, emotions and mental models that are so engraved in an individual that are taken for granted. This dimension, though hard to articulate, shapes the way we perceive the world around us. Moreover, there is the socialization process(tacit to tacit) used as a means of transfer of tacit knowledge which is the process of sharing experience to create tacit knowledge such as shared mental knowledge and technical skills. This process includes imitation, practice and observation. However, ‘Experience’ is the fundamental here which is why the transfer of tacit knowledge merely often makes little sense to the receiver end. It will take years of their own experience to really grasp the knowledge. Additionally, there are three approaches to which tacit knowledge may be achieved from groups and individuals. 1. Interviewing experts, by recording organizational stories. Learning by being told, is simply constructed by interviewing or by task analysis(the process of breaking down the policy and analyzing what needs to be done in order to complete the task) 3. Learning by observation, which can be done by presenting the expert with a sample scenario, problem, case study and then examining the process and steps taken to work out the problem. As I’ve explained, all these measures should be taken in order to transfer tacit knowledge into reusable explicit knowledge, which is knowledge that is easier to communicate and perceive.