Different Types of Knowledge: Explicit, Implicit and Tacit

Implementing a new knowledge management strategy takes real work. Managers have to choose the right tools, objectives and action steps, and teams need a solid grasp of the underlying concepts to put them into practice. This guide breaks down the three core knowledge types, explicit, implicit and tacit, and how they fit into a knowledge management strategy that actually works.

What are explicit, implicit and tacit knowledge?

Before diving into the specifics of explicit, implicit and tacit knowledge, one must first have an understanding of what knowledge is. Knowledge-driven businesses have an edge: they can act efficiently by drawing on a well-managed knowledge base instead of figuring things out from scratch each time.

In a business context, knowledge refers to the accumulation of skills, experiences, capabilities and insight of an organization. All this is created, managed and stored in the form of explicit, implicit and tacit knowledge.

Explicit knowledge

Explicit knowledge is any kind of knowledge that is easily articulated, written and stored in physical form so that it is accessible. Common examples of explicit knowledge are books and documents.

Implicit knowledge

Implicit knowledge is information that is transferable to skills. One way to think about it is when someone is performing tasks, they are displaying implicit knowledge, such as performing effective communication. Implicit knowledge is where often, individuals are not even aware that they are acquiring these skills. They can also be transferred from one job to another.

Tacit knowledge

Tacit knowledge is a less-tangible form of knowledge gained through personal experiences and individual contexts. Thus, tacit knowledge is harder to articulate on paper. Examples of tacit knowledge include language or intuition.

The difference between Explicit Knowledge vs Tacit Knowledge

Because tacit knowledge is ingrained in the mind of the individual and shaped through personal development, it is harder to codify than explicit knowledge.

For instance, an experienced customer support representative may be able to judge by intuition when a customer is getting frustrated, as compared to a new hire who has no prior experience. This skill is a result of the experienced staff’s own hands-on experience, observations and surroundings. Thus, the result is a cognitive set of skills gained through experiential situations. On the contrary, explicit knowledge is based on objective and logical information and is more technical in nature.

As a result, explicit knowledge is easily transferred to others in the workplace through documentation of this knowledge in physical or digital form. Employees who possess certain explicit knowledge can easily articulate this to others by explaining the logic behind their skillset.

Strategies to turn tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge

Relying only on employees’ explicit knowledge, the kind that is already written down, leaves an organization missing the soft skills and judgment that live in people’s heads instead. Making that judgment transferable from high-performing employees to their peers is what keeps it in the company after someone moves roles or leaves.

One thing that trips teams up: asking an expert to sit down and write out everything they know rarely works, since most people cannot easily explain a skill they perform automatically. Tacit knowledge surfaces more reliably when someone is walked through a specific, recent decision, asking why they chose one approach over another right after they made the call, not weeks later from a blank page. Capture that explanation and you get usable documentation without asking anyone to write a manual from memory.

Choose the right tool

Tacit knowledge is a unique and in-depth representation of an individual’s experiences, so it requires direct instruction from the employee. However, it can be taxing to take time off to break down and rationalize each piece of information to multiple teammates. Having the right tools to effectively capture knowledge will only require a small part of an individual’s time. This way, they can share important tips and know-how with their teams without interrupting their current workflow.

Make documenting knowledge a part of the work process

Knowledge sharing may not be part of an organization’s culture, which stops employees from mentoring and learning from their peers. Because tacit knowledge is a cognitive process, it requires a higher level of communication to make it work. Encouraging a workplace culture of knowledge sharing through retrospective meetings provides a space for collaboration, where employees can take turns to share unique experiences, fact-finds and learning points for others.

Incentivize knowledge sharing

A challenge that many organizations face with knowledge management is that employees don’t see what’s in it for them. With quarterly targets to hit, it’s easy to overlook whether your team is keeping its practices up to date. Pay attention to employees who contribute to the knowledge culture of the organization: reward them with something concrete, like a small prize or public recognition on a company message board, and more people will get involved in sharing what they know.

For more tips, check out 5 tips on how to encourage knowledge sharing in the workplace.

Capture more of your team’s knowledge with Kipwise

The right knowledge management tool goes a long way toward making tacit knowledge easier to share. Kipwise is a knowledge management system with a centralized dashboard so teams can capture and share what they know. See how Kipwise can help your team document what usually stays in people’s heads.