Using ICT tools to manage knowledge: a student perspective in determining the quality of education

Within the e-learning context of a university, technology has the potential to facilitate the knowledge interaction between the source (instructor) and the recipient (students). From a literature review, it can be concluded that prior studies have not explored the types of channels that encourage knowledge transfer in this environment. For example, how explicit knowledge travels through the e-learning environment and goes through interaction processes and is received and acquired is largely unknown. According to Alavi & Leidner (2001), Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can help speed up the processes of transferring knowledge from those who have knowledge to those seeking knowledge. Within the university context, technologies such as email, Internet, IRC chat, bulletin boards and tools such as WebCT and BlackBoard have the potential to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and act as a link between source and recipient. Effective knowledge transfer has to consider effective knowledge acquisition, which are therefore inexplicably linked. Nonaka's spiral model addresses knowledge acquisition through spiraling processes in which an individual would be able to convert tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge and vice versa. According to Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995) there are four types of interaction, which give way to the conversion of one form of knowledge into another, namely tacit-to-tacit, tacit-to-explicit, explicit-to-tacit and explicit-to-explicit. In an academic environment, this can be studied as the source, either transferring tacit or explicit knowledge, and similarly as the recipient, receiving knowledge either in tacit or explicit form. Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995) also refer to this as the SECI model, where SECI stands for Socialisation, Externalisation, Combination and Internalisation. This 'Research in Progress' reports the outcomes of a study undertaken to understand how and to what extent knowledge spiraling processes and accompanying characteristics of SECI can be ICT-enabled to contribute towards the studying and learning processes for university education. A survey instrument was developed for this purpose and it is currently undergoing peer-review and other customary validity and reliability tests. Once the instrument is validated, it will be administered on about 50 tertiary students. It is hoped that the results obtained from this survey will be reported in the QIK 2005 conference

A Polanyian tack: political implications

Intellectual freedom justifies social freedom and is justified as the pursuit of truth. I argue that intellectual freedom is the creative exercise of Polanyian tacit knowing. Polanyian tacit knowing is discovery, a way to new truth. Intellectual freedom, imagined is (1) negative or primarily critical doubt and opposition to Community, Authority and Tradition (CAT) (traditional liberalism); and (2) positive or the over-emphasis of CAT (1) and (2) are untenable and eliminates intellectual freedom by nihilism or totalitarianism; in (1) by nihilism; and (2) by totalitarianism. Nihilism starts in a wrong understanding of truth or how it is pursued while totalitarianism stems from over-emphasis on CAT. Tacit knowledge is a way to analyse (1) the early Polanyi and the tension between social order and freedom; and (2) the late Polanyi and the gap between intellectual freedom and truth. Tacit knowledge presupposes CAT on the from side of tacit knowledge’s notation and overcomes CAT’s constraints by tacit knowing going to truth. Further, by restating his Hungarian Revolution as tacit knowing, tacit knowing is a way to a more truthful CAT, close the uncompleted side of tacit knowledge and solve the original problem of liberalism: its self-destruction. By framing this query in terms of Polanyian intellectual freedom, I establish a way to bring together his early social theory and late epistemology to make an original contribution to Polanyian scholarship. A Polanyian tack ought to be given more thought as to its implications for social theory

Tacit Knowledge Transfer and Firm Growth: An Experience-Based Approach

Scholars frequently suggest that since tacit knowledge is valuable, heterogeneous among firms, and difficult to imitate, it has the potential to provide firms with a sustained competitive advantage. However, the nature of such knowledge can make it difficult for firms to expand and fully exploit its potential. Specifically, the individual orientation of tacit knowledge requires that such knowledge be transferred and replicated internally to achieve scale. This process is difficult and time intensive due to the articulation challenges associated with tacit knowledge. Thus, while tacit knowledge offers the potential for sustained advantage, the ability to realize such an advantage is constrained by the inherent transfer issues associated with this knowledge. To date, there has been very little scholarly inquiry in the field of management regarding how such difficult to articulate knowledge is transferred and leveraged within firms. I addressed this omission in this dissertation by developing and testing an experience-based approach to the transfer of tacit knowledge. Specifically, I leveraged prior research from cognitive psychology to posit the impact of three experiential characteristics (variety, relatedness, and temporal spacing) on the time needed to transfer tacit knowledge among individuals within firms. I also examined how the differences in knowledge transfer brought about by the nature of experiences influenced the rate and mode of firm growth. The validity of the conceptual model developed in this dissertation was tested using a unique multilevel dataset on knowledge-intensive firms. The results provide support for the idea that experiences are an important mechanism through which tacit knowledge is transferred and that differential rates of tacit knowledge transfer influence firm expansion. More specifically, I found that experience variety was positively associated with the rate of tacit knowledge transfer at the individual-level and that this effect was attenuated by the relatedness of the variety. I also found that the rate at which firms transferred tacit knowledge to new staff was directly associated with the rate of firm growth and inversely associated with the use of lateral hires as an alternative growth mode

Managing the use of tacit knowledge: can the classroom help?

Tacit knowledge plays an integral role in the competitive advantage of knowledge-based organizations, yet misunderstanding and confusion exists as to what tacit knowledge is, and how it should be managed. Through analysis of existing definitions of, and debates surrounding, tacit knowledge and the management of its use, this paper makes a case for introducing managers to the construct of tacit knowledge through business schools

Towards an Archaeology of 'Know-How'

This article explores the relation between experience and ‘know-how’ as a ‘tacit’ form of knowledge and the role of enthusiasm in the production of ‘know-how’, and engages with the problem of the transmission of ‘know how’. Why is the transmission of ‘know-how’ a problem? If ‘know-how’ is a tacit form of knowledge, then there are difficulties imagining how it is transmitted through the media without becoming an ‘explicit’ form of knowledge.The author turns his attention to the humble ‘how to’ article, as its primary purpose is the transmission of ‘know-how’. He teases out the way ‘know-how’ is developed through experience and then suggests that instead of transmitting ‘know-how’ itself, the ‘how to’ article presents the conditions of experience through which a reader or viewer can develop ‘know-how’

An Indigenous Epistemological Approach to Promote Health Through Effective Knowledge Translation

Through indigenous epistemologies a holistic health framework is promoted and indigenous concepts like two-eyed seeing offer critical decolonizing conduits for knowledge translation and enhanced health outcomes. Yet, in health care settings dominance of scientific research-based evidence downplays tacit knowledge. For enhanced health outcomes in indigenous community settings, effective knowledge translation is essential through synthesis of research-based explicit knowledge and tacit know-how adapted to local needs. This paper discusses essential characteristics of effective knowledge translation practices, and presents two examples of best practices of knowledge translation in indigenous contexts

Research use and Knowledge mobilisation in third sector organisations involved in health care provision

Third sector organisations (TSOs) provide health care in the UK's NHS and other health systems. One of their perceived strengths is distinctive knowledge of the communities with which they work but little is known about the knowledge TSOs possess, how it is developed and used, and how this relates to research-based knowledge. The objective of this PhD is to explore how and why third sector organisations use research and other kinds of knowledge in their work. Scientific Realism (Pawson, 2013) was used to develop causal mechanisms and contexts, in the form of programme theory, to explore the processes of knowledge use. A scoping review, a pilot of a survey tool, and two case studies were used to develop programme theory and to address the research questions. I found that in the healthcare TSOs studied, knowledge encompasses tacit as well as explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge (“know-that”) tends to be used to prove to external organisations the effectiveness of the TSO or to support organisational development; tacit knowledge (“know-how”) is used by the staff to support clients and users of services to develop knowledge of ‘what works for me’. This tacit knowledge is the distinctive knowledge that TSOs possess. It is mobilised through formal and informal relational processes. I found staff personalised knowledge to individual service-users based on individual and organisational values, implicitly integrating different kinds of knowledge in order to contribute to the benefit and flourishing of all. These findings have implications for TSOs, service commissioners, researchers, and research funders. We need to pay attention to how values influence knowledge use and enable the distinctive knowledge of TSOs to be put into practice

Taus kunnskap og usynlig arbeid i profesjonspraksis. Et teoretisk/ filosofisk essay med eksempler fra sykepleiepraksis

Sammendrag: Profesjonsutøvere møter en virkelighet med behov for helhetlige tilnærminger. Det kreves oppdatert kunnskap fra ulike parter og samhandling mellom disse. Kunnskapsoverføring er et komplekst område, her inkluderes også en taus kunnskapsdimensjon som kan være vanskelig å formidle til andre i samhandlingsfeltet. I essayet belyses hvordan taus kunnskap kan forstås teoretisk, og hvordan både taus kunnskap og usynlig arbeid framstår i sykepleieprofesjonen, med mål om en individuell tilpasset sykepleie. Nøkkelord: kunnskapsformer | profesjonspraksis | refleksjon | sykepleie | taus kunnskap | usynlig arbeid Abstract: Professionals face a reality with a need for holistic approaches. Updated knowledge from different parties and interaction between these is required. Transmission of knowledge seems complex, this also includes a dimension of tacit knowledge that can be difficult to convey to others in the field of interaction. The essay sheds light on how tacit knowledge can be understood theoretically, and how both tacit knowledge and invisible work can appear in the nursing profession, with the goal of individually tailored nursing. Keywords: forms of knowledge | invisible work | nursing | professional practice | reflection | tacit knowledgeTaus kunnskap og usynlig arbeid i profesjonspraksis. Et teoretisk/ filosofisk essay med eksempler fra sykepleiepraksispublishedVersio

Local-global geographies of tacit knowledge production in London and New York's advertising and law professional service firms

For economic geographers interest in the role of knowledge in economic activities and a ‘knowledge economy’ raises questions about how geography enables (and disables) learning and whether the production of tacit knowledge has exclusively local or multiple overlapping geographies. This thesis engages with this debate and considers its relevance to the geographies of tacit knowledge production (learning) in the employees of global advertising and law professional service firms operating in London and New York City. It begins by critically engaging with theories of knowledge, learning and their geographies to develop a spatially sensitive approach to examine learning. Such an analysis is then applied in order to understand the geographies of knowledge production in global advertising and law firms. Three themes are addressed. First, why is tacit knowledge important in the work of these firms? Second, what are the key practices involved in producing such knowledge? Third, what are the geographies of these practices and how important is the local scale (the communities within London and New York) and the global scale (the communities stretched between offices of the global firms studied) for knowledge production. Research findings from semistructured interviews highlight the multiple geographies of learning in the firms studied at both local and global scales. This is enabled by a number of ‘embedding’ forces that ‘smooth’ the learning process and that have multiple geographies themselves. It is therefore argued that a relational and topological analysis that traces the learning networks across space most usefully provides insights into the geographies of knowledge production. This reveals that the ‘networks and spaces of learning’ are fluid and transcend spatial scales when suitable constructed