The Influence of Emotional Intelligence on Tacit Knowledge Sharing in Service Organizations

Definition Of Knowledge

Davenport and Prusak (1998) defined knowledge as “a fluid of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insights that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates in and is applied in the minds of knowers”. Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) defined knowledge in a broader perspective which is “a dynamic human process of justifying personal belief toward the truth”. Two types of knowledge reside in an organization – explicit and tacit knowledge (Nonaka, 1991). Explicit knowledge is knowledge that can be codified therefore it is easily shared and communicated via organization databases, hence making it available to all members of the organizations. Explicit knowledge also refers to rationalized knowledge which is general, context independent, standardized, and public (Weiss, 1999).