Tacit vs explicit knowledge as antecedents for organizational change

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to explore the dichotomous role of knowledge through an examination of tacit and explicit knowledge in organizational change contexts.

Design/methodology/approach

The study's aim is achieved by an analytical review of the seminal and contemporary knowledge management literature.

Findings

The paper contributes to the current body of knowledge management literature by analyzing a wide range of key literature and presenting a contemporary overview that compares the role of tacit and explicit knowledge within organizational change contexts.

Research limitations/implications

The findings contribute toward theoretical development in the knowledge management field by providing researchers with future research directions to build upon previous theoretical understandings and advance our collective knowledge of the research domain.

Practical implications

The paper offers practical and pragmatic insights that will help firm managers to use tacit and/or explicit knowledge to manage organizational change.

Originality/value

This article presents an original comparative table that summarizes and compares the key understandings and insights from across the literature sources on a range of important aspects, and then presents implications for the two knowledge typologies. The paper also presents an original research framework containing a structured database of related calls for research by the latest academic publications. Furthermore, it provides specific and informed managerial recommendations for best practice in the integration of these knowledge typologies into organizational change management.

Citation

Gamble, J.R. (2020), "Tacit vs explicit knowledge as antecedents for organizational change", Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 33 No. 6, pp. 1123-1141. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-04-2020-0121