Knowledge Exchange Protocols: A Second Study

Abstract

In the knowledge management domain, the conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge is critical because it is a prerequisite to the knowledge amplification process wherein knowledge becomes part of an organization's knowledge network. Moreover, this process is strategically important because it enhances an organization's ability to create new knowledge that is inevitably expressed through the organization's capabilities, products, and services. The conversion of tacit to explicit knowledge is particularly relevant to information technology (IT), because IT can only partially facilitate tacit knowledge management, while it offers a substantial number of techniques to support the management and sharing of explicit knowledge. In this paper, knowledge exchange protocols are examined as a vehicle for improving the tacit-to-explicit knowledge conversion process. In a second experiment testing the use of knowledge exchange protocols, initial findings are confirmed: while structure may significantly improve the tacit-to-explicit knowledge conversion process, it also matters how the structure is employed in this process.