Addressing the tacit knowledge gap in knowledge systems across agential realism

Past literature has claimed that knowledge systems can enhance or facilitate the creation, retention, transfer and application of tacit knowledge. While this paper agrees that this objective is realizable, it argues that the literature has so far failed to successfully operationalize this, since at the core of the models published to date lies the flawed epistemological assumption of knowledge ‘conversion’ – more specifically, tacit to explicit knowledge conversion. \ \ This paper proposes the alternative epistemology of agential realism which allows us to reframe tacit knowledge within knowledge systems, whereby humans and machine are coupled together (intra-act) to enhance and retain tacit knowledge creation and sharing without putting undue emphasis on its conversion and storability into an explicit form – thus, agential realism allows tacit to remain as tacit. In addition, this critical-conceptual paper proposes nascent examples of human-machine or knowledge system configurations which have affinities or potential affinities with an agential realist approach.

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

EVALUASI KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM PADA APLIKASI SIA (SISTEM INFORMASI AKADEMIK) UNIVERSITAS PAMULANG

ABSTRAK Sistem informasi akademik merupakan lalu lintas komunikasi antara Dosen, mahasiswa, dan aktivitas yang berhubungan dengan kebutuhan mahasiswa dalam kegiatan perkuliahan. Sistem informasi akademik my Unpam ini terdiri dari my Dosen, my Unpam, perpustakaan, e-learning, helpdesk dan PMB online. Untuk mengetahui kebergunaan pengetahuan pada sistem akademik ini perlu dilakukan analisis knowledge management system berupa konversi pengetahuan tacit to tacit dan tacit to explicit yang digunakan sebagai tujuan penelitian ini. Metode penelitian ini yaitu studi pustaka dan observasi atau analisis terhadap website akademik Unpam. Sistem informasi akdemik UNPAM telah menerapkan knowledge Management System dengan beberapa konversi pengetahuannya. Konversi yang digunakan yaitu tacit to tacit dan tacit to explicit. Hasil persentase pengetahuan yaitu my Dosen sebanyak 25%, my UNPAM 35 %, E-Learning 10.5 %, Perpustakaan sebanyak 11.8%, Helpdesk 2% dan PMB 14.4%. Dengan demikian nilai tertinggi dan terbanyak konversi pengetahuan yaitu pada halaman web My Unpam yang sering diakses oleh mahasiswa.  ABSTRACT Academic information system is the communication traffic between lecturers, students, and activities related to the needs of students in lecturing activities. My Unpam academic information system consists of my lecturer, my Unpam, library, e-learning, helpdesk and PMB online. To know the usefulness of knowledge in the academic system needs to be done knowledge management system analysis in the form of tacit to tacit knowledge conversion and tacit to explicit used as the purpose of this study. This research method is literature study and observation or analysis on academic website Unpam. The information system of UNPAM has applied the knowledge management system with some of its knowledge conversion. The conversion used is tacit to tacit and tacit to explicit. The result of knowledge percentage is my lecturer 25%, my UNPAM 35%, E-Learning 10.5%, Library 11.8%, 2% Helpdesk and PMB 14.4%. Thus, the highest value and the most knowledge conversion is on the My Unpam web page that is often accessed by students.

Just Do It! Web 2.0 and the Breaking of the Tacit Dimension for Knowledge Acquisition

Does Web 2.0 facilitate the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge? Prior research has focused on the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit within the context of organizations and builds upon assumptions made during the period when information technologies were not readily available and accessible to the general population. Recently, there have been dramatic changes to the information technology landscape due to the advent of Web 2.0. A unique characteristic of the Web 2.0 era is the dissemination and absorption of knowledge and information by almost anyone at any time. This conceptual research in progress builds upon the theory that explicit and tacit knowledge are dichotomous constructs on a continuum scale. We use this theory to examine how features of Web 2.0 convert increasing kinds of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge; allowing for greater dissemination and acquisition by the layman and artificial intelligence agents. For the layman, we discuss the current limitations we face in empirically documenting and measuring this phenomenon and the benefits of a randomized digital field experiment. We conclude with the implications of the research for academia and practitioners

Knowledge management and organizational culture

This paper explores the relationship between organisational knowledge, organisational culture, and Process Based Systems (PBS), in the U.K. National Health Service (NHS). Links between PBS and organisational culture have been observed before(Perry, 2003); the contribution made by PBS to organisational knowledge has also been suggested (Perry, 2004). However, links between organisational knowledge and organisational culture in the NHS have not been widely studied. A qualitative study of these links across clinical functions has been used in conjunction with a literature review to consider in particular the use of tacit knowledge and the role that might be played by PBS in mediating and sharing this "embedded" or experiential form of knowledge. While there may be some opportunity for "externalisation" (Nonaka, 1994) - the conversion of tacit to explicit knowledge, this paper argues that PBS may also contribute to "socialisation" - the direct generation of tacit knowledge by tacit knowledge.Process Based Systems, knowledge management, organisational culture

THE IMPACT OF KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN IMPROVING STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The thesis is about knowledge management in education: how to create quality knowledge through the e-learning environment which is positively related to students’ perceptions of their learning outcomes; and secondly, how to develop communities of practice to ensure effective transfer of tacit knowledge to improve student learning. An effective knowledge management system must address both the creation and transfer of explicit as well as tacit knowledge. This research set forth that tacit knowledge must be converted into high quality explicit knowledge through the e-learning environment. The success in converting educator’s tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge to be internalised by the learner as tacit knowledge is very much depended on information quality as the medium for the conversion process. Thus, in this thesis, information quality is an essential concept to examine in the conversion process. This is to ensure that learners are able to derive quality tacit knowledge from this information. Information quality is always relative and depends on the individual or group of students who are evaluating it. Thus, any standardising of information quality has to match to a considerable large group of students’ cognitive structures. This research provides an empirical investigation of the relationship between information quality and student learning outcomes. Data for this study were collected by means of questionnaires through the survey manager in the Blackboard Learning System and were evaluated through a combination of multiple regression analysis. Data analysis revealed evidence that the relationship between the quality of information and student learning outcomes is systematically measurable, in that measurements of information quality can be used to predict student learning outcomes, and that this relationship is, for the most part, positive. Furthermore, this research set forth the conceptual review of developing communities of practice (CoPs) to transfer sustained tacit knowledge effectively to improve student learning

Tacit knowledge and knowledge conversion: Controversy and advancement in organizational knowledge creation theory.

N onaka's paper [1994. A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge creation. Organ. Sci. 5(1) 14-37] contributed to the concepts of "tacit knowledge" and "knowledge conversion" in organization science. We present work that shaped the development of organizational knowledge creation theory and identify two premises upon which more than 15 years of extensive academic work has been conducted: (1) tacit and explicit knowledge can be conceptually distinguished along a continuum; (2) knowledge conversion explains, theoretically and empirically, the interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge. Recently, scholars have raised several issues regarding the understanding of tacit knowledge as well as the interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge in the theory. The purpose of this article is to introduce and comment on the debate about organizational knowledge creation theory. We aim to help scholars make sense of this debate by synthesizing six fundamental questions on organizational knowledge creation theory. Next, we seek to elaborate and advance the theory by responding to questions and incorporating new research. Finally, we discuss implications of our endeavor for organization science

The value of ontology, The BPM ontology

It is generally accepted that the creation of added value requires collaboration inside and between organizations. Collaboration requires sharing knowledge (e.g., a shared understanding of business processes) between trading partners and between colleagues. It is on the (unique) knowledge that is shared between and created by colleagues that organizations build their competitive advantage. To take full advantage of this knowledge, it should be disseminated as widely as possible within an organization. Nonaka distinguished tacit knowledge, which is personal, context specific, and not so easy to communicate (e.g., intuitions, unarticulated mental models, embodied technological skills), from explicit knowledge, which is meaningful information articulated in clear language, including numbers and diagrams. Tacit knowledge can be disseminated through socialization (e.g., face-to-face communication, sharing experiences), which implies a reduced dissemination speed, or can be externalized , which is the conversion of tacit into explicit knowledge. Although explicit knowledge can take many forms (e.g., business (process) models, manuals), this chapter focuses on ontologies, which are versatile knowledge artifacts created through externalization, with the power to fuel Nonaka’s knowledge spiral. Nonaka’s knowledge spiral visualizes how a body of unique corporate knowledge, and hence a competitive advantage, is developed through a collaborative and iterative knowledge creation process that involves iterative cycles of externalization, combination, and internalization. When corporate knowledge is documented with ontology, a knowledge spiral leads to ontology evolution

RANCANG BANGUN KONTEN E-LEARNING KEGIATAN PEMASANGAN WIFI INDIHOME MENGGUNAKAN METODE ADDIE DAN SECI PADA PT. MAP SUBANG

Knowledge is often related not only to documents or valuables, but also to company routines, processes, practices and norms. Knowledge is divided into two types, namely Tacit Knowledge and Explicit Knowledge. Tacit knowledge is knowledge that comes from a collection of one's experiences that are in the minds of individuals in the organization and are difficult to share with others. Tacit knowledge can be lost through outsourcing, downsinzing, mergers and layoffs. Explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be documented, interpreted, and shared with others. PT MAP which is a partner of PT Telkom Indonesia Indihome fiber network that provides services for providing sales, wifi installation, interference, and other indihome maintenance. Limitations and the absence of a learning process for new technicians or technicians who want to improve knowledge in terms of wifi networks, this is the background to the problems in this research. The ADDIE method is one of the popular methods used in e-Learning design. The ADDIE method consists of five stages, namely analyze, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. In the design phase, tacit knowledge is converted into explicit knowledge using the SECI method which consists of Socialization, Externalization Combination and Internalization. The use of the SECI method in the knowledge conversion process is based on the consideration that the data used is the tacit knowledge of workers and company owners. For this reason, PT MAP requires an e-learning content that will help simplify and speed up the learning process for new employees and employees who want to increase their knowledge.Knowledge sering terkait tidak saja pada dokumen atau tempat penyimpanan barang berharga, tetapi juga pada rutinitas, proses, praktek dan  norma perusahaan, knowledge dibagi menjadi dua jenis yaitu Tacit Knowledge dan Explicit Knowledge. Tacit knowledge merupakan knowledge yang berasal dari kumpulan pengalaman seseorang yang berada di dalam pikiran individu dalam organisasi dan sulit untuk dibagikan kepada orang lain. Tacit knowledge dapat hilang melalui outsourcing, downsinzing, merger dan pemberhentian kerja. Explicit knowledge merupakan knowledge yang dapat untuk didokumentasikan, diartikan, dan dibagikan kepada orang lain. PT MAP yang merupakan  partner dari PT Telkom Indonesia jaringan fiber Indihome yang melakukan pelayanan penyediaan sales, pemasangan wifi, gangguan, dan maintenence indihome lainnya. Keterbatasan serta belum adanya proses pembelajaran untuk karyawan teknisi baru maupun teknisi yang ingin meningkatkan konwledge dalam hal jaringan wifi, hal ini menjadi latar belakang permasalahan dalam penelitian ini. Metode ADDIE merupakan salah satu metode yang populer digunakan dalam perancangan e-Learning. Metode ADDIE terdiri dari lima tahap yaitu analyze, design, development, implementation, dan evaluation. Pada fase design dilakukan konversi tacit knowledge menjadi explicit knowledge menggunakan metode SECI yang terdiri dari Socialization, Externalization Combination dan Internalization. Penggunaan metode SECI pada proses konversi knowledge didasari oleh pertimbangan bahwa data yang digunakan merupakan tacit knowledge pekerja dan pemilik perusahaan. Untuk itu PT MAP membutuhkan sebuah konten e-learning yang akan membantu mempermudah dan mempercepat proses pembelajaran  untuk karyawan baru dan karyawan yang ingin meningkatkan knowledgenya

A technique to capture multi-disciplinary tacit knowledge during the conceptual design phase of a building project

The construction industry is suffering from incomplete knowledge flow that results in time and cost over-runs. Many researchers believe that a large part of this problem is related to the design phase being a tacit knowledge-dominated area. Since tacitness of knowledge contributes to incomplete flow of knowledge, we posit that facilitating the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge can improve the overall knowledge flow. Within this context, this paper analyses recognised knowledge-capturing techniques and compares them in view of the operating characteristics of the conceptual design phase. This paper proposes a new tacit knowledge-capturing technique for this phase. The outcomes include a new knowledge-capturing technique, a method for validation of the proposed technique, and recommendations on how to deal with the challenges concomitant with the application and utilisation of the proposed technique in the building industry. By proposing a combinational tacit knowledge-capturing technique, this study attempts to mitigate the impact of the potential incomplete knowledge flow during the conceptual design phase in building projects