Management of Tacit Knowledge in Modern Organizations, Essay Example

The field of knowledge management studies is very popular nowadays, since it reveals a great additional potential for business success and revenue growth. In addition, knowledge management presupposes supplementary tools for managers to tackle the diverse intangle assets possessed by organizational employees. As a result of close attention to knowledge management, any company can advance knowledge accumulation, transfer, and generation in any business settings. Unfortunately, tacit knowledge is less researched than explicit knowledge is; this situation results from the inability to measure and grasp tacit knowledge retained at the unconscious level of employees, and reflected in their habits and experience (Baumard, 1999). Therefore, additional research on tacit knowledge will open the way to managing the most valuable and diverse intellectual assets.

The conceptual framework for understanding knowledge management is as follows: it is the interrelationship of data, information, and knowledge; knowledge is approached from the viewpoint of its tacit and explicit nature (Groff & Jones, 2003). The theories applied for the study of explicit knowledge include the research of Reinhardt, Bornemann, Pawlowsky, and Schneider (2003) indicating the crucial role of managemenet in the identification, deployment, and development of knowledge within an organization, and the theory of Dierker, Antal, Child, and Nonaka (2003) about the necessity to manage knowledge in case it is manageable. The theory of Garvin (1993) about five building blocks that have to function harmoniously for the sake of facilitating knowledge management will also be utilized in the process of data collection.

The purpose of the present research is to focus on a particular type of an organization for which tacit knowledge management is essential, namely the manufacturing sector in Canada. In the framework of researching tacit knowledge practices in manufacturing settings, the research will aim at identifying the efficiency of current practices, the essence of tacit knowledge in manufacturing, and the gaps preventing organizations from successful and full management of tacit knowledge.

The present research is planned to involve a mixed-methods study; the comprehensive literature review will comprise the secondary data part; surveys or interviews will comprise primary data. The obtained data will be further analyzed with the purpose of identifying the extent of proficiency in the questions of explicit and tacit knowledge management, current initiatives employed in manufacturing companies for the sake of tacit knowledge management, and the gaps identified by respondents and by the researcher. Qualitative analysis part will then comprise linking the research results with the theories and concepts discussed in the literature review and conceptual framework part.

The population sample chosen for the present research comprises managers and executives of three manufacturing companies, Baytech, Canadian General Tower, and Huronia Precision Plastics, in which management of tacit knowledge is critically important. The sample inclusion criteria include respondents’ proficiency in the field of knowledge management, being responsible for designing solutions for tacit knowledge management in organizations employing them, and managing knowledge in their daily work routines.

The subject of tacit knowledge management is comparatively new, but it has already taken its substantial place in the field of organizational management research and practice. The fact that knowledge is now recognized as a valuable organizational asset (which is the next step after recognizing people as strategically significant organizational resources) implies the need to research the most problematic areas of knowledge management, generation, and development. Hence, the present research will enable professionals and laypersons to acquire an additional insight into knowledge management techniques applicable in any surroundings for the accumulation of expertise, experience, skills, and data.

The present research also has some positive financial implications for business organizations, since the expected outcome of the present work is to provide business entities with a cost-effective, conceivable, optimal, convenient, and effective way to manage their tacit knowledge.

References

Baumard, P. (1999). Tacit knowledge in organizations. Masson, Paris: SAGE.

Dierkes, M., Berthoin Antal, A., Child, J., & Nonaka, I. (Eds.). (2003). Handbook of organizational learning & knowledge. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Garvin, D. A. (1993). Building a learning organization [Electronic version]. Harvard Business Review, 71(4),78-91.

Groff, T.R., & Jones, T.P. (2003). Introduction to Knowledge Management. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Reinhardt, R., Bornemann, M., Pawlowsky, P., & Schneider, U. (2003). Intellectual capital and knowledge management: Perspectives on measuring knowledge. In M. Dierkes, A. Berthoin Antal, J. Child & I. Nonaka (Eds.), Handbook of organizational learning and knowledge (pp. 794-820). New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.