Importance Of Tacit Knowledge

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What is important to the organisation? From what we learnt from the module, knowledge is a valuable asset to any organisation. Knowledge comes in two forms: explicit and tacit. The success of the organisation is dependent on the ability to transfer both these two types of knowledge, with more emphasis of the transference of tacit knowledge. Many knowledge management (KM) scholars state that tacit knowledge is sticky and difficult to explicate, but they are prized because expertise rests on it, and it is the source of competitive advantage (Irick, 2007). Some examples of tacit knowledge include leadership, creativity, innovation, aesthetic, experience and others. The nature of tacit knowledge is subjective and highly personal and hence, the…show more content…
(2002), is an integral component of any organisation. It is necessary for collaboration to exist since it rests on the top few human’s needs such as the physical proximity, the instinctive need to communicate, and the sense of belonging to a member group (Ergen, 2011). In addition, Subramanian (2006) claimed that informal communication happens to people when there is proximity, and when they perceive others to be reliable, knowledgeable, friendly and trustworthy. He also asserted that both forms of communications – formal and informal – do not compete against one another but are complementary (Subramanian, 2006). According to Davison, Ou & Martinsons (2013), informal communication facilitates knowledge work, and informal KM initiatives are important because of its ability to extract tacit knowledge from the knowledge holder. As such, organisations may often prefer informal communication as it more cost effective, and it aids in promoting sharing and learning. These informal interactions also increases mutual trust and strengthens relationships (Azudin, Ismail & Taherali,…show more content…
Some may prefer to have a change of locations after a period of time, while some may choose to remain at a workstation throughout their employment period. For those employees who prefer the former, by allowing them to switch where they sit on a regular basis, it can potentially increase the chances of building networks between people, projects and ideas (Steelcase, 2010). According to Steelcase (2010), workers who do not have an assigned workstation – also known as “hot desking” (Waber, Magnolfi & Lindsay, 2014) – often adjusted their proximity so that they can be near to the people they are required to work together with. The scenario on Alan and John also portrayed how beneficial flexible seating can be. In order for them to feel safe around the office environment, the lobby will have lockers to provide employees a space to keep their
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