Knowledge management systems and tacit knowledge

Abstract

Knowledge management explores knowledge through two distinctive approaches: personal (tacit) knowledge and codified (explicit) knowledge. Knowledge management systems (KMS) are defined as software solutions using various information technologies (IT) for developing knowledge management applications. The role of IT in supporting explicit knowledge codification is well explored and advocated, while the role of IT in supporting tacit knowledge or even substituting it is not. The paper reviews literature from a perspective of knowledge workers cognitive activities through two research questions: how tacit knowledge should be supported or even substituted by KMS and how should guidelines be developed to distinguish IT support for explicit and also tacit knowledge. The result is suitable to understand how tacit knowledge can be supported by KMS and guide knowledge workers and managers to distinguish IT support for tacit knowledge, thus helping them to choose the appropriate IT to develop usable merged explicit and tacit knowledge management solutions.