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Types of Knowledge

There are three types of knowledge: tacit, explicit and organisational.

You may have come across these terms before, but let’s get a quick recap of these definitions from Roger. He will explain how he has applied these types of knowledge to his volunteering.

Click on each of the types of knowledge to view its definition.
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Tacit Knowledge

Tacit knowledge exists within individuals – it’s what we learn through experience, our ideas, insights, values and judgements. It is highly personal, difficult to communicate to others and can be difficult to capture.

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I’ve gained a lot of hands on experience over many years with driving different vehicles in a wide range of conditions. I’ve acquired this tacit knowledge through experience. I admit I have had some near misses and learned from my experiences. I can teach people to drive but it’s difficult to pass on the thinking and attitudes that come with experience.

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Explicit Knowledge

Explicit knowledge is tangible and can be easily communicated and shared with others. It is the knowledge that is documented, for example, in books, documents, emails and multimedia.

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Explicit knowledge is readily available in documentation such as manuals, videos, plans, standard operating procedures, briefings and situation reports.

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Organisational Knowledge

Organisational knowledge is the combination of data, information and the collective knowledge and experience of all the individuals in the organisation. It is what’s needed to enable organisations to operate effectively. Organisational knowledge needs to be current as it is the basis on which decisions are made, solutions created and tasks performed. Ideally organisations need to be flexible enough to learn from experience, innovate and adapt to change.

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The State Emergency Service has plans, policies and procedures for managing flood operations. They have inundation maps and flood intelligence collected over numerous operations. They have people trained and experienced in managing floods. The combination of all these things is one example of organisational knowledge.

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