SECI Model Guides the Generation and Diffusion of Knowledge in the Developing of an Innovative Product at a Small Science and Technology Institute

Abstract

This research presents a case study about knowledge management at the Plasma Dental Pen project, in its stages of prototyping, conducted by the Núcleo Avançado de Inovação Tecnológica (NAVI) from Rio Grande do Norte. It applies the SECI theoretical-practical model by Nonaka & Takeuchi (1997) to analyze the dialectic of creating organizational knowledge to generate solutions related to the lack of experience with additive manufacturing in this project. For information acquisition, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the coordinator and a researcher from the organization and then compared with the proposed theory of the seminal authors and recent literature about it. We concluded that adapted applications of the SECI model contribute to the generation and diffusion of knowledge in the institution and its innovation process.