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The purpose of this paper is to develop and clarify a central concept of knowledge management, tacit knowledge.

The paper investigates the philosophical roots of the concept of tacit knowledge and compares its core elements with current uses of the concept in contemporary knowledge management research. Different interpretations of the concept are identified, analyzed and clarified. A more explanatory and useful interpretation is developed and applied to current issues in knowledge management. A new KM implementation model is described based on a fuller understanding of the tacit/explicit distinction.

The main conclusion of the paper is that the concept of tacit knowledge as it appears in the literature is vague and ambiguous. This vagueness creates confusion that, in turn, makes developing and implementing KM strategies more difficult. However, by understanding the philosophic roots of the concept of tacit knowledge it becomes possible to develop a clearer and more useful interpretation of the concept that can be used to guide KM implementations.

A new KM implementation model is described based on the analytical findings of the paper. An implied model based on a confused understanding of the tacit/explicit distinction is identified and rejected.

The paper clarifies and develops one of the most important concepts in KM. It provides a fuller description of its role in KM and disentangles it from related but distinct concepts. The paper reframes the tacit/explicit distinction and provides a set of guiding principles to be used by researchers and managers.

The purpose of this article is to revisit the key terms in knowledge management (KM), particularly tacit and explicit, to develop a better framework for a theoretical and practical understanding of KM.

With the help of concepts like articulation and discourse, borrowed from applied linguistics, the relationships between data, information, the components of information in its various forms, knowledge and narrative are explored, to develop an integrated framework for the understanding of the complexities of the domain of knowledge management.

This study rovides a detailed assessment of the contribution of the tacit/explicit distinction to the KM debate. Develops new distinctions between formal and ante‐formal information, procedural information and contextual analysis, a model of the process of developing objective information, and a model of knowledge as an articulation of procedural information and contextual analysis.

The usefulness of the framework will only be tested when it is applied in research and in management practice. This will depend on whether the concepts and terms introduced here find their way into more common usage.

The study provides a useful framework and set of tools for understanding and managing the various different aspects of information, knowledge, intellectual capital, and competitive intelligence.

The paper brings together concepts and analytical tools from different disciplines (KM, applied linguistics, semiotics) to develop a new framework for analyzing how the component elements of KM articulate with each other. In more detail, the paper unpacks the relationships between ante‐formal and formal information, procedural information and contextual analysis, the processes of objectification of information and the formation of knowledge, and the notion of knowledge as inherently narrative.

The purpose of this viewpoint paper is to question the widely adopted tacit-explicit distinction of knowledge, arguing that this is based on a misappraisal of the original source of the “tacit” phenomenon.

It is argued that Michael Polanyi’s theory of personal knowledge and philosophical grounds have been misinterpreted. The tacit problem is approached from three different directions: knowledge management, cognitive psychology and discursive psychology. The first offers an imperative to regard the tacit as vital to organizational success and an underplayed “implicit” perspective on the tacit. The second offers empirical evidence for the formulation of the tacit as acquired automatically and unconsciously through implicit learning and as influencing action. The last offers a theory and methodology for studying what is argued as being the primary site of knowledge work – discourse.

A novel aspect of the tacit – “tacit knowing” – is shown to be action-orientated and influential, and while it is a hidden aspect of a person’s knowledge, it can be revealed through the study and analysis of discourse.

This is the first known paper in the extant literature to examine the tacit knowledge challenge from these combined directions. Implications for practice and study are discussed, and new directions for research proposed.

Cross-cultural cognitive paradoxes have frequently broken the existing boundaries of knowledge and stimulated demands for knowledge creation (KC), and such paradoxes have triggered and will continue to trigger novel risks in the context of international business (IB). Given the nascency of relevant issues, this study aims to develop a more comprehensive understanding of KC across cultures by proposing a Yin-Yang dialectical systems theory of KC as micro-foundation to more systematically frame the risk/paradox-resolving mechanism elicited by cultural collisions.

This paper is conceptual in nature. The authors first critically review the literature to lay a broad theoretical foundation. Integrating the philosophy- and praxis-based views, the authors reposition knowledge as a Yin-Yang dialectical system of knowing, with yin representing the tacit while yang represents the explicit. Next, the authors justify the underling logic of realising KC through a contradiction-resolving process. On this basis, the authors draw upon the Yijing’s Later Heaven Sequence (LHS) as the source domain of a heuristic metaphor to reconceptualise KC as a dynamic capability in the IB context.

Using the LHS paradigm to metaphorically map the intricate patterns of interaction and interconnectivity among the involved individuals, organisations and all related stakeholders, this research identifies and theorises the overall dynamic capability of KC in the IB context, which comprises five sets of processes: contradiction, conflict, communication, compromise and conversion.

This research highlights that KC is simultaneously activated and constrained by human actions as well as by the socially constructed context in which it emerges, which helps individuals, organisations and policy makers more clearly frame the novel risks induced by cross-cultural cognitive conflicts in the IB context.

The authors synthesise Yin-Yang dialectics with the approach of collective phronesis, proposing a novel, praxis-oriented Yin-Yang dialectical systems theory of KC. It provides a deeper understanding of the epistemological paradox inherent in all knowledge, thus enabling KC to be rationalised by a sounder logical reasoning. By fusing the macro and micro perspectives on KC, the authors also enrich existing theory and future theory building in the domain of knowledge management.

Knowledge management has been largely used and applied within for‐profit organisations. However, knowledge management is a managerial tool that can also be used to assess the knowledge creation and flow within social initiatives. Presents the Proformação program, analysing it as a case study and using the knowledge management theory to assess it. The proformação program aims to train in‐service unqualified teachers in the Brazilian K‐12 public schools, so as to give them skills and expertise to develop their mission better. Most of these teachers are located in the poorest Brazilian regions, mainly in the rural areas, so the project is based both on distance training and mentoring approach. Along with a more consolidated and traditional model used for a descriptive case study, addresses an innovative way of assessing knowledge creation and transmission, based on the “knowledge spiral” and the SECI methodology. Finally, the main purpose of this case study is to subsidize policy‐makers so as to understand better how to deploy huge training endeavours successfully, avoiding the pitfalls and drawbacks inherent in these kind of initiatives and understanding how to manage better the knowledge creation and flow among the involved players.

Since the beginning of this decade research has been conducted in order to define a feasible and reliable path to measure the intangible assets of a company, also called its intellectual capital. Several models have been defined, though problems still remain to be solved. In this article a heuristic frame addressing the link between intellectual capital and business strategy is developed, according to the author’s proposed intangible corporate asset taxonomy. This model is then applied to a company within the magnesium industry. The “time‐lag trap” issue is presented showing the misconceptions arising from the static rather than the dynamic intangible asset valuing approach. Future trends such as the creation of the IC elasticity concept and some conclusions in this realm are also presented.

Analyzes what corporate intelligence means, and presents a re‐engineering project to rethink training in the work environment through the use of Web‐based instruction systems. Presents the main concepts and modules of Web‐based instruction systems, as well as the communication, co‐ordination and co‐operation tools needed to develop a computer‐aided learning environment. Presents a recently developed Web‐based instruction system called W3E. Depicts the architectural logic of the system, and a new modus operandi offered to companies in order to transform learning into an ongoing process within them. Draws some conclusions from this proposed model, the benefits are outlined and the latest challenges this new paradigm has posed to us all are also presented.

Presents a framework for retraining Brazilian workers from industry, commerce and services activities, in order to make them useful for the new knowledge society in which we live. The approach presented is an alternative to the traditional retraining models which are solely based on training the workers in the fundamentals of information technologies, without going further on the essential skills and expertise that allow the workers to own a professional laterality degree. The model discussed in this article is based on field research undertaken by the author among employers and employees within the Brazilian productive environment, to analyse why the implementation of new technological innovations, mainly based on information technology, has barely leveraged their companies’ productivity. Based on this survey, a new information technology‐based training framework is presented to be deployed within the companies, through the development and use of a Web‐based instruction system.

The purpose of this paper is to show that for frequently procuring public clients: the reasoning behind the use of procurement instruments is a process in its own right that requires managerial and scientific attention; modeling this process contributes to making sensible procurement choices; and managing this process is a relevant factor in the client’s development toward strategic procurement.

A model is developed to conceptualize the reasoning behind procurement instruments. Using this model in a case study, the reasoning behind the evolution of a particular procurement instrument as applied by a public infrastructure management organization is reconstructed.

The case study results show that an initially explicitly formulated set of main reasons for operating a qualification system can implicitly evolve over time into a different set of reasons. From a managerial point of view, explication of implicit reasons is important to both avoid the risk that the real value of the procurement instrument remains undetected as well as properly assess its strategic alignment with higher level strategies. The conceptual model proves to be a useful tool to support that.

Bringing the reasoning behind the use of procurement instruments to the fore, this study explores an area of construction procurement research that is positioned between the disciplines of purchasing and supply management, knowledge management and strategic management.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework designed to assess the capacity of a knowledge management (KM) system to facilitate new knowledge creation.

A longitudinal case study methodology, in a single company, Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), was used to test the framework.

New knowledge creation is best supported through mature KM systems that include all four modes of knowledge creation: combination, externalization, socialization, and internalization. KM systems and environments as a whole reach maturity by progressing through stages, which is presented as a KM maturity model.

By combining Nonaka's knowledge creation theory with Wittrock's generative learning activities, the paper illuminates both the why and how of new knowledge creation, in a way that can be applied to KM technological initiatives. One of the limitations of this study is the generalizability of the findings, which may be limited by the single case study method used.

The framework provides a rubric against which both old and new KM initiatives can be assessed to determine whether they are capable of generating new knowledge. The maturity model provides a template against which organizations can map their progress towards a mature KM environment.

Much of the literature on KM systems has focused on capturing knowledge and disseminating it. Few studies have provided practical, theoretically based advice on how to create new knowledge and what aspects of information systems can facilitate that creation. The framework and maturity model can serve as guides in that process.