Tacit Knowledge and Culture

Tacit knowledge is characteristically unwritten, but may over time become articulated or codified depending on its nature. Because of the importance of the role tacit knowledge plays in both individual and organisational success, it is important that it’s transfer be unhindered from a knowledge management point of view. Culture plays a part in knowledge transfer insofar as people tend typically to associate with others of similar background. We have conducted a series of case studies in a number of IT organisations to determine the extent to which culture affects the likelihood of tacit knowledge flows. Our findings indicate that where the organisation is highly multi-cultural, the likelihood of culture affecting tacit knowledge flows is limited. Nevertheless staff, where they do share a common culture, do generally associate with one another and this in turn may impede the free-flow of soft knowledge.