Methods and Practices of Tacit Knowledge Sharing Within an Enterprise: an Empirical Investigation

Abstract

The paper focuses on the internal knowledge sharing, namely on the methods and practices used in the case of tacit knowledge exchange among the individuals within an enterprise. Therefore, the first aim of the paper is to present the methods and practices that are recommended by knowledge management’s experts in the process of tacit knowledge sharing. The second research purpose is to determine which of those methods and practices are most frequently used by surveyed enterprises and how employees evaluate their utility in tacit knowledge sharing. In order to achieve the second purpose of the research, a survey was carried out in 153 enterprises located in the region of Wielkopolska in Poland, operating on domestic and foreign market. The first section of the work provides a brief summary of guidelines on tacit knowledge sharing within an enterprise highlighted in the relevant literature and a set of methods and practices that are used in tacit knowledge sharing which are recommended by the specialists in the field of knowledge management. Then the paper presents the results of own study on the surveyed group of enterprises. In the concluding remarks possible implications for the development of tacit knowledge sharing are suggested. The research results allow the conclusion that according to what is reported in the literature, tacit knowledge sharing is associated with broad defined staff training system. So exchange of tacit knowledge mainly takes two forms in surveyed enterprises: collective learning and transmission of accumulated previously knowledge to other employees within a company. However, as the research results suggest, the degree of using methods and practices for tacit knowledge sharing could be higher. Rather small level of tacit knowledge sharing in surveyed enterprises may be caused by insufficient activities focused on developing a strong organizational culture based on trust and cooperation.