A common term being used today is knowledge management, which is - simply put - the management of knowledge. Knowledge management is typically is applied to the management of knowledge accumulated in a company, which typically resides in the mental faculties of employees. It is recognized that there are two types of knowledge that exists in an organization. They are tacit and explicit.
The explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be captured in manuals of Best Practices, drawings, standard operating procedures, or other documents. This knowledge is then disseminated to any member of the company that will benefit from such knowledge. Explicit knowledge is easier to codify and computerize. It is also much easier to disseminate throughout an organization.
Alternatively, there is tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is knowledge that is personal in nature and is therefore difficult to extract from individuals. Strong proponents of tacit knowledge feel that the only way to disseminate knowledge is to move people from assignment to assignment, bringing them into contact with a greater number of people and exposing them to new learnings. Thus bringing people together, sharing ideas, in an environment that encourages knowledge sharing leads to even more (or even new) knowledge. These individuals are thus referred to as knowledge carriers – or Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
Tacit knowledge can also be shared via teams. For example, a problem solving team. A group of individuals can be brought together to solve a specific problem. These SME’s are selected to the team based on their specific expertise. By placing these individuals in close contact, focused on a specific problem, it is believed they will share their knowledge for the common good and the problem can be solved.
Companies cannot choose one type of knowledge and let it be their total focus. It must use the proper combination of the two types of knowledge. How can this be accomplished in a CMMS/EAM system? The blog next week will focus on this topic.
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