Testing for Tacit Knowledge

Abstract

It is acknowledged that there exists a need for organisationally-based tacit knowledge research. Perhaps the major hurdle to undertaking any form of tacit knowledge testing however, is attempting to gain data that for all intents and purposes is not strictly speaking codified, even if aspects of it may be articulable (Dampney, Busch, & Richards, 2002). Given the often ethereal nature of tacit knowledge, testing must be based upon sound definitions. The definition arrived at for this study was that of “articulable implicit IT managerial knowledge,” which fits within Fleck’s (1997) designation of “informal knowledge.” What follows in this chapter is a discussion on the current research issues relating to testing for tacit knowledge.