Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Knowledge Management has been at the heart of mounting focus over the last several years. Research and literature on the area under discussion has grown and organizations have come to realize that success is often determined by one’s ability to create, disseminate, and embody knowledge in products and services. This realization has led to increased interest in examining the ways in which knowledge can be effectively identified, elicited, codified, distributed and retained.When an employee leaves an organization, the knowledge they possess often goes with them. This loss can potentially have a negative impact on the productivity and quality of the organization. Knowledge Management seeks to find ways to minimize loss of knowledge when an employee leaves an organization. One of the impediments that knowledge management seeks to overcome is the accepted tendency in people to hoard knowledge. People often withhold knowledge when they feel it provides them with a competitive advantage over others. The argument of this study was intended to provide the organization with an approach that it can utilize to facilitate tacit knowledge elicitation by means of the storytelling method.In keeping with Grounded theory principles, and utilising an interpretive approach, stories from Subject Matter Experts were collected and re-coded into fitting knowledge management constructs. The coding of the stories into the various knowledge management constructs was then further refined by means of expert review. Pearson’s cross correlation analysis was also used as a supporting tool to determine and validate that the collected stories were classified correctly under the knowledge management constructs. The research findings eventually demonstrated that storytelling is an effective means of eliciting tacit knowledge from experts. In addition to this, the research has inadvertently resulted in the construction of a knowledge management framework for storytelling.

[pt] O objetivo da dissertação é propor um modelo de elicitação do conhecimento tácito em gestão contratual de serviços terceirizados (GCST), visando reutilizá-lo em processos decisórios e na resolução de problemas desta área de gestão. Busca-se demonstrar a aplicabilidade do modelo mediante o desenvolvimento de um estudo empírico junto a uma das gerências de GCST de uma empresa do setor de óleo e gás. A metodologia compreendeu: (i) revisão bibliográfica e análise documental sobre os temas centrais da pesquisa; (ii) análise de conteúdo dos modelos, métodos e técnicas para elicitação de conhecimento tácito nas organizações em geral; (iii) desenvolvimento de um modelo conceitual para elicitação de conhecimento tácito em GCST, empregando métodos multicritério de apoio à decisão em duas de suas fases; e (iv) demonstração da aplicabilidade do modelo conceitual, mediante a realização de um estudo empírico em uma das gerências de GCST de uma grande empresa do setor de óleo e gás. O estudo empírico demonstrou ser viável elaborar planos de elicitação de conhecimento tácito em gestão contratual de diferentes tipos de serviços terceirizados (ST) demandados por aquela gerência. Destaca-se como principal resultado desta pesquisa um modelo inovador de elicitação de conhecimento tático em GCST, que poderá ser aplicado por organizações que buscam a excelência em gestão contratual de serviços terceirizados. Para a empresa do setor de óleo e gás na qual foi desenvolvido o estudo empírico, a implementação de planos de elicitação do conhecimento tácito cobrindo todos os tipos de serviços terceirizados por ela demandados contribuirá para maior eficiência na gestão de contratos e fortalecimento de suas competências nessa área, com impactos na competitividade, criação/captura de valor e inovação no âmbito da empresa. / [en] The objective of the dissertation is to propose a model for eliciting tacit knowledge in contract management of outsourced services (CMOS), aiming to share and use it in decision-making processes and in solving problems in this management area. It seeks to demonstrate the model s applicability by developing an empirical study with one of the contract managers of a company in the oil and gas sector. The methodology comprised: (i) bibliographical review and documental analysis on the central themes of the research; (ii) content analysis of models, methods and techniques for eliciting tacit knowledge in organizations in general; (iii) development of a conceptual model for eliciting tacit knowledge in CMOS, integrating multicriteria decision-making methods in two phases of the model; and (iv) demonstration of the applicability of the conceptual model, by carrying out an empirical study in one of the contract management areas of a large company in the oil and gas sector. The empirical study demonstrated that it is feasible to elaborate plans to elicit tacit knowledge in contract management of different types of outsourced services (OSs). The main result of this research is an innovative model for eliciting tactical knowledge in CMOS, which can be applied by organizations seeking excellence in contract management of outsourced services. For the oil and gas company in which the empirical study was developed, the implementation of tacit knowledge elicitation plans covering all types of required outsourced services will contribute to enhance efficiency in contract management and strengthen its competencies in CMOS, with impacts on its competitiveness, value creation/capture, and innovation.