What are the differences between Tacit and Explicit knowledge?

What are the differences between Tacit and Explicit knowledge? Tacit knowledge is the product of interaction between people, or between people and their environment. It refers to knowledge that is gained only experientially and, therefore, cannot be readily articulated or explained to inexperienced parties (for example, drawing, painting, writing, tying a knot, planning, decision-making). An individual will acquire tacit knowledge only by gathering information, relating it to existing knowledge, and accumulating experience; it involves judgment, intuition, and common sense. In groups, tacit knowledge exists in the practices and relationships that develop through working together over time. The major challenges are in its recognition, sharing, and management. Two major types of knowledge are central to KM are Tacit knowledge and Explicit knowledge

The distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge is perhaps the most fundamental concept of knowledge management. Such a distinction was first made by Michael Polyani in the 1960s, but it forms one of the central planks of Nonaka and Takeuchi's book The Knowledge-Creating Company (1995).Tacit knowledge (knowing-how): knowledge embedded in the human mind through experience and jobs. Know-how and learning embedded within the minds of people. Personal wisdom and experience, context-specific, more difficult to extract and codify. Tacit knowledge Includes insights, intuitions. Explicit knowledge (knowing-that): knowledge codified and digitized in books, documents, reports, memos, etc. Documented information that can facilitate action. Knowledge what is easily identified, articulated, shared and employed. Thus, explicit (already codified) and tacit (embedded in the mind).

Explicit knowledge Tacit (implicit) knowledge
 Objective, rational, technical Subjective, cognitive, experiential learning  
 Structured Personal
 Fixed content Context sensitive/specific
 Context independent Dynamically created
 Externalized Internalized
 Easily documented Difficult to capture and codify
 Easy to codify Difficult to share
 Easy to share Has high value
 Easily transferred/ taught/learned Hard to document
 Exists in high volumes Hard to transfer/teach/learn
 

The terms ‘tacit knowledge’ and ‘implicit knowledge’ are sometimes used as synonyms. “Implicit” means that which is implied in a statement, but is not explicitly said. The term could refer to things that are contextual to a statement - that is, further statements that are connected with it in socially understandable manner




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