Organizational Learning and Tacit Knowledge - Coursework Example

Organizational Learning and Tacit Knowledge Name class Unit Introduction Tactic knowledge and organization learning have become very vital in today’s organisation. Tacit knowledge has been an important asset in maintaining firm competitiveness. Tacit knowledge is firm knowledge which is intuitive and of uncodified which makes it hard to transfer it. This is the type of knowledge that forms the firm’s sustainable competitive advantage (Stehr, 1994). Organizational knowledge has been able to point out the importance of tacit knowledge. Knowledge in a firm is socially embedded and heavily influenced by the social institutions. Learning is the process of gaining knowledge. Learning in an organization takes place at individual, group and organizational level. Most of tacit information in a form is drawn from individual experience and one’s knowledge. The environment demands that organizations must have tacit knowledge. Knowledge is defined as a creation carried out through the human mind (Akgun, Lynn & Byrne, 2003). Organizational learning is defined as the collection of all methods using as learning processes in the organisation. This essay will discuss using examples the concept of organizational learning and how tacit knowledge is created in an organisation. Organisation learning can occur both at the individual level and at group or intergroup level. Learning in an organization can occur through an error. For example, an employee may be injured due to use of unguarded machine. To correct the employee behavior, he may be taken through training on guarding a machine. By considering the main causes of errors in an organisation, it is possible to make it a learning organization (Sun, Merill & Peterson, 2001). For example, organization should look at all flaws in employee training instead of dealing with the injured one alone. The organisation should be keen in ensuring that all causes of failure are addressed when one occurs. This is by addressing the main cause of problem rather than solving it partially (King, 2006a). Learning in an organisation is dynamic and is able to keep up with the changing nature of organizations. The sum of all the learning processes in an organization is referred to as organisation learning. Knowledge in a firm can be divided into three parts which are explicit knowledge, implicit knowledge and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge involves calling up patterns and processes from visual memory which makes it easy for another person to comprehend (Stehr, 1994). Changes such as emotions constitute the explicit knowledge. For example, an employee may turn red due to embarrassment. Implicit and tacit knowledge overlaps in most cases. There is a thin line that differentiates the two terms. Implicit knowledge is memory which is not readily available to an individual. This is a memory that can only be triggered through questions or having a reflective moment. This is a knowledge that an individual can have no idea about. Once disclosed, the knowledge becomes tacit. Implicit knowledge acts as a middle point between tacit and explicit knowledge (King, 2006a). There are several cycles for learning in an organisation. Complete learning cycle has the capability to link actions and outcomes. In organizational learning, it contains both single and double loops. Single loop involves binary thinking. This is doing things in a way that only changes the actions or strategies for the actions. The mode does not lead to major changes which makes it hard to see the changes. When using double loop, there is a change in policies, values and assumptions. Double loop have been one of the most effective means of learning than using single loop. The main issue with the program is the fact that it is complex. The method depends on a lot of factors such as communication, styles of learning and the ability of member. Use of formal and explicit techniques is very vital in an organization (Reber, 1993). Tacit knowledge is a descriptive term that refers to a way of connecting thoughts in a way that something is structured such that another person can recreate it. In a learning organisation, learning starts as tacit. This is due to fact that knowledge starts from the individuals and moves outwards. Tacit knowledge exists subconsciously. This is unlike the implicit knowledge which can exist both consciously and subconsciously. Tacit knowledge has four aspects which are; embodied, intuitive, affective and spiritual. Each of the four aspects represents different sources of knowledge. Embodied tacit knowledge is stored in the human body in terms of neurons patterns. For example, one can smell the car brakes while driving and think of replacing them. The responses brought about by this makes it possible to take appropriate action (Reber, 1993). There is an association between embodied learning and experimental learning. Embodied tacit learning can occur through mimicry and behavior. As one continues to work in a certain area their knowledge becomes tacit. This enables the employees’ to put forward what they have and their knowledge. Intuitive tacit knowledge occurs from deep an individual. Despite its use, it becomes hard to explain whether the decision taken is the right one. For decision makers, they rely mostly on their intuitive tacit knowledge (King, 2006a).Through experience and contemplation it becomes easy to create deep tacit knowledge. Tacit knowledge acts as a means of learning in an organisation. The personal experiences used in tacit knowledge should be meaningful. A person is also expected to have specific objectives in their mind. A person is supposed to be able to easily become acquainted within situations. There is also need to develop a good sense of what is likely to happen next. The feedback obtained should always be relevant (Blair, 2002). Affective tacit knowledge is directly connected with emotions .These are feelings that are not expressed and in some cases not recognized. The feeling helps in providing awareness during situations such as decision making. They play an informing role when making decisions. Knowledge based on the matters of soul in an organisation is referred to as spiritual tacit knowledge. This is a form of knowledge that represents higher form of guidance whose origin is unknown. Spiritual tacit knowledge is referred as a source of higher learning and enables the decision makers to come up with the good decisions. Due to interactions of the four aspects of tacit knowledge, there are overlaps (Blair, 2002). A large portion of information and knowledge in modern organisation comes from tacit knowledge. The organization is thus concerned in making tacit knowledge to move around the learning cycles. It is argued that knowledge creation starts from being intuitive to tacit. In organizational learning knowledge management is very important. Tacit knowledge can only be shared though making it explicit (Gertler, 2003). Since it is hard to specify tacit knowledge, it has to be revealed through practice. The means used to transfer tacit knowledge is through observation. This is seen in cases such as apprenticeship where the master teaches student through observation. This means that there is need for close interaction which can help in creating trust. Tacit knowledge can only be acquired through use of practical experience in a relevant context. For example, some one can learn through doing a task (Ardichvili, Page & Wentling, 2003). Tacit knowledge is personal and contextual. This is a form of knowledge that can only be appropriated through direct application. Explicit and tacit knowledge are related in a great way since they are mutually constituted (Reber, 1993). New knowledge is created when the two types of knowledge combines. Interaction of the two types of knowledge leads to an organisation gaining superior performance. The importance of interactions of the two types of knowledge varies depending on the firm. Tacit knowledge forms a very important component for innovation. It has been proved that for an organisation to create new knowledge successfully, they have to convert individual tacit knowledge into collective knowledge. An example is Toyota who has been able to successfully innovate using tacit knowledge. This can only be enabled if an organisation have a learning and innovative capability (Sun, Merill, E. & Peterson, 2001). For large organizations, tacit knowledge has been a vital component in research and development. Tacit and explicit knowledge are accumulated by organizations in different ways. Through logical deduction, it is possible to generate explicit knowledge (Pedler, 2002). The innovative capability of an organisation is dependent on its ability to mobilize tacit knowledge and enhance its interaction with explicit knowledge. Knowledge in these organizations can either exist in the level of an individual or collectively shared among the group. Collective knowledge exists between the employees but not within an individual. In most cases, it is the summation of individual knowledge (Chanal, 2004). For organizations with explicit knowledge, their structures are less formal. There is standardization of tasks and roles in these organizations. The situation is standardized by the fact that this is knowledge which can be codified and aggregated. For the organisation with tacit knowledge, they have a decentralized structure and their coordination mechanisms are decentralized (King, 2006a).. This is due to the fact that tacit knowledge cannot be standardized. Machine bureaucracy is evidenced in organizations which depend on encoded language. A good example is the mass production firms which are based on scientific management principles. The process leads to loss of data since tacit knowledge is lost through translation. New knowledge is slowly accumulated due to formalization and institutionalization. The machine bureaucracy seeks to eliminate and take charge of the tactic knowledge. Organizations use tacit knowledge to learn and innovate (Blair, 2002). Conclusion Organizational learning is made up of total sum of individual learning. The process takes place in a cyclic fashion using different models of individual learning. For organizational learning to be effective, it starts with creation of knowledge. The knowledge is then integrated into the organisation and actions based on the knowledge provoked. Most of the organization knowledge that exists is tacit than explicit. This implies that organizational learning is more dependent on tacit knowledge rather than explicit knowledge. Most of the organisation knowledge is gained through tacit knowledge. The way tacit knowledge is expressed in an organisation determines its effectiveness. Tacit knowledge can be shared among the employees, learning from others and intuition. Tacit knowledge can be divided into four main parts which are; embodied, affective, intuitive and spiritual. From the essay, it can be seen that all knowledge that comes from consciousness is new knowledge. Organization leaders have the capability to enhance tacit knowledge in their organizations. Organisation structure is influenced by the knowledge that exists in it. References Akgun, A.E., Lynn, G.S & Byrne, C 2003, “Organizational learning: a socio-cognitive framework”, Human Relations, 56(7), pp. 839-68. Ardichvili, A., Page, V & Wentling, T 2003. “Motivation and barriers to participation in virtual knowledge-sharing communities of practice”, Journal of Knowledge Management, 7(2), p. 64-77. Blair, D.C 2002, “Knowledge management: hype, hope or help?”, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 53(12), pp. 1019-28. Chanal, V 2004, “Innovation management and organizational learning: a discursive approach”, European Journal of Innovation Management, 7(1), pp. 56-64. Gertler, M.S 2003. ‘Tacit knowledge and the economic geography of context, or the undefinable tacitness of being (there)’, Journal of Economic Geography, 3, 75-99. King, W.R 2006a. In “Knowledge sharing”: The encyclopedia of knowledge management, D.G. Schwartz, 493-498. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing. Pedler, M 2002, “Accessing local knowledge: action learning and organizational learning in Walsall”, Human Resource Development International, 5(4), pp. 523-40. Reber, A. S 1993. Implicit Learning and Tacit Knowledge, Oxford University Press, New York. Stehr, N 1994. Knowledge Societies, Sage, Thousand Oaks, CA Sun, R., Merill, E & Peterson, T 2001, From implicit skills to explicit knowledge: A bottom- up model of skill learning, Cognitive Sci., 25(2), p. 203–244. Read More