09/18/2021
The definitions of knowledge types
The three main types of knowledge that definitely need to be learned are explicit (documented information), implicit (applied information), and tacit (understood information). These various types of knowledge shape the way we communicate, learn and teach each other.
Explicit knowledge is the most fundamental form of knowledge. It is easy to share, because it is written down and approachable. When information is processed, organized, structured and explained, the outcome of these processes is explicit knowledge. It is easy to express, to record, to communicate and to store. For instance, your office is a best example of explicit knowledge. Your company research reports, data sheets, white papers are all explicit company knowledge.
Implicit knowledge is an application of explicit knowledge in practice. Remember your first day at work, when you asked your colleague how to perform a task, as well as the probable results, leading to a contemplative process to determine the best way to act. It is that company employee’s implicit knowledge that educates the conversation of how to do something and what could happen. Moreover, best practices and skills that are transferable from place to place are examples of implicit knowledge.
Tacit knowledge is the one that we possess from our personal background and context. It is the information which is the most difficult to record, articulate or present in perceptible form. As an example, think of your favorite recipe, which you tried to cook a lot of times, changed some ingredients and species and after years of experience you know the exact feel of dough or the exact time of something to be prepared in the oven. It is not something you can write down, but you can feel it. In the workplace, tacit knowledge is the application of implicit knowledge that’s specific to your company.
No matter how a company knowledge is defined it all plays a crucial role in the daily operation of running an organization. Though, in order to develop a successful knowledge sharing , you have to understand how diverse types of is intertwined and most effectively stored.