Organisations are built on people’s skills. Not just what’s written in the manual, but how work actually happens on a day-to-day basis. Tacit knowledge is experiential, situational and often unspoken knowledge, without which the flow of work suffers.
The challenge is that tacit knowledge does not transfer itself. It is vulnerable to loss in the face of change, staff turnover and rush. At the same time, its value is highlighted at times when processes are unclear or documentation is outdated.
A learning organisation is not based on individuals, but on a shared understanding
Harnessing tacit information is not just a technical task.
It is a cultural choice:
- do we dare to share knowledge?
- are we building structures that make sharing easy?
- do we identify situations where tacit knowledge needs to be made visible?
Learning is not just about courses or training. It’s about having conversations together, opening up everyday work and articulating approaches.
People and technology together
Mobien From the point of view of technology, it does not replace tacit knowledge, but helps it to become visible and shareable. A learning environment can be a place where:
- low-threshold documentation of practices by experienced experts
- employees can ask questions, make comments and add additions
- different teams share findings and “tacit rules” with each other
- a common understanding of what quality and good work mean
Tacit knowledge does not become value if it remains an individual experience.
It becomes value when it is shared.
Structures to ensure that knowledge is not lost
An organisation’s learning capacity is as strong as its ability to retain and transfer knowledge.
This is why collecting tacit knowledge is part of:
- induction
- teamwork
- mentoring
- continuous development
- joint documentation
Mobie sees the collection of tacit information first and foremost as an opportunity:
an opportunity to strengthen community, sharing and learning that benefits the whole organisation.
Working together to make tacit knowledge visible
Mobie does this work together Ari Kananen Consulting Oywhose core competence lies precisely in the collection and practical structuring of tacit information. Mobie’s CompetenceX serves as a common platform through which tacit knowledge can be collected, structured and shared with all members of the organisation.
Ari Kananen’s approach is based on making the organisations’ experiential knowledge visible at the everyday level, i.e. where the work takes place. This complements Mobie’s aim to build learning structures where knowledge is not left to individuals, but is transformed into shared knowledge.
Summary
Tacit knowledge is an organisation’s most valuable asset, but also its most vulnerable. When made visible, it becomes a shared asset that bears up under change and builds a sustainable learning culture.
Mobie supports organisations in this growth: in a human, long-term and practical way.