One of the purposes with this master’s thesis is to shed light on tacit knowledge in the reference interview. Theoretical starting points are Robert Taylor’s report about question-negotiation and information-seeking in libraries, tacit knowledge, the concept of horizon in human consciousness and conversation methodology. The empirical material has been collected through the qualitative methods shadowing and interview. The thesis has a section that delves into the method of shadowing, as this turned out to be a useful method to perceive tacit knowledge in reference interviews. The study’s second purpose aims therefore to investigate if shadowing can be developed to perceive and describe tacit knowledge in unspoken work situations, like a reference interview. The empirical analysis shows aspects and components of tacit knowledge in the reference interview. It also shows strategies developed and used by librarians to be able to help users to find the information they express that they need. Shadowing was a useful method in the study, as it can capture nuances and non-verbal details in the interplay between librarian and user.  This is a two years master's thesis in Library and information science.

Purpose: This study investigates how software development organizations can identify and utilize tacit knowledge effectively, aiming to develop a practical framework based on empirical data. By exploring methods for accessing and sharing tacit knowledge, the research seeks to enhance organizational efficiency and innovation in software development. Method: The study is conducted through a qualitative case study within a large software development consultancy. The analysis is based on 27 interviews, conducted with employees from the case company. These were later analyzed in a thematic analysis. Findings: We have pinpointed three barriers, alongside identifying three critical components for establishing a robust organizational framework for knowledge sharing. These include culture, empowerment, and practices. Additionally, we have categorized agile practices into socialization and externalization modes and evaluated them from a knowledge sharing perspective, investigating their respective benefits and utility for knowledge sharing in an agile software development organization. Theoretical contributions: The study adds to the literature on knowledge sharing and agile knowledge management. Providing a more practical, concrete, and defined view of how knowledge can be managed, especially in agile software development organizations and contributing with a comprehensive framework for creating a knowledge sharing organization. Practical implications: The practical implication of this study is that managers can better understand different agile tools and in which way they affect knowledge sharing in the organization so that they can be applied more accurately. The framework also provides recommendations for how the organization should be structured and different aspects to focus on to best support knowledge sharing and knowledge sharing practices. Limitations and future research: The most significant limitation is that the data was collected at one consultancy company operating in the software development industry. As such, the results might lack transferability to other industries. The study also lays a foundation for future research to go deeper into specific activities and see their effects. Keywords: Tacit Knowledge, Software Development, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Management, Agile Methodologies, Software Development Life Cycle.

I bring together ethnographic interviews with deck officers, studies in actor-network theory, explicit and tacit knowledge theory, and performativity theory in this work. I prove that bridge technologies produce what are called mimeomorphic (repeatable with some variation) actions that contain no deck officer collective tacit knowledge. I argue that deck officer bridge watch situated actions are mostly polimorphic (actions can vary depending on social context), and these actions are in fact performatives (in an Austin sense) derived from a more oral than literate performance production process. These performatives constantly build the mariner's identity within the maritime deck officer community and their successful performatives give deck officers agency in the form of an oppositional view to deskilling. These same performative acts are the value of the mariner's experiential technological knowledge within the ship's bridge technology framework. / Ph. D.

Tacit Knowledge is critical in an organization's ability to sustain a long-term competitive advantage. The systematic process for acquiring, organizing, sustaining and renewing tacit knowledge of employees has enabled organizations to survive in a robust economy. This study investigates the management of tacit knowledge at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA). The objectives of the study were: to identify the sources and types of knowledge at KIPPRA; identify the enabling resources for tacit knowledge sharing; determine how tacit knowledge can be reused for innovation and competitive advantage; establish the role of management in creating a conducive environment for tacit knowledge; identify the challenges experienced in the management of tacit knowledge; give recommendations and propose a model/framework for tacit knowledge management at KIPPRA. The study adopted a qualitative research method. Interviews and observation were used as primary data collection methods. The study targeted 60 employees of KIPPRA consisting of Researchers, Young Professionals, Heads of Division, a Knowledge Manager and Administrative staff. Qualitative data collected was organized, categorized and reported in verbatim. Pie charts and tables were used to give a graphical representation of the bio data of respondents. The study found that: KIPPRA values knowledge as an asset but does not practice tacit knowledge management, both tacit and explicit knowledge exists however, no real effort has gone into the management of tacit knowledge. The study also found that KIPPRA had tacit knowledge sharing, capture, transfer and storage avenues that have not been capitalized on. ICT infrastructure is available however it does not support tacit knowledge sharing. No Communities of Practice exist at KIPPRA but tacit knowledge is reused for innovation, development and competitive advantage. KIPPRA’s management has provided a conducive environment for tacit knowledge to thrive but trust, knowledge asymmetry, and hierarchical challenges have hindered tacit knowledge harnessing. No tacit knowledge related incentives are offered at KIPPRA. The study also revealed that employees experienced challenges such as identification and understanding of tacit knowledge, access of tacit knowledge sharing platforms, and access to individuals with specific tacit knowledge, tacit knowledge hoarding, individualism and ICT related challenges in accessing tacit knowledge. Even thought the necessary elements required to facilitate Tacit Knowledge Management are available, no effort has been made to customize them to harness tacit knowledge. The study concluded that for KIPPRA to have a competitive advantage it is important that the Knowledge Manager, with the Support of KIPPRA’s Management, have concerted efforts for harnessing tacit knowledge. Key recommendations include: establishment of Communities of Practice at KIPPRA that bring together like minded individuals and also enable the building of relationships based on trust among the employees, and investment in ICT mechanisms specific to tacit knowledge management to enhance the harnessing and codification of captured tacit knowledge. Employees should also be trained on the value of tacit knowledge sharing and individualism should be discouraged. The study also recommends the adoption of a proposed framework for managing tacit knowledge at KIPPRA. / Information Science

Tacit Knowledge is critical in an organization's ability to sustain a long-term competitive advantage. The systematic process for acquiring, organizing, sustaining and renewing tacit knowledge of employees has enabled organizations to survive in a robust economy. This study investigates the management of tacit knowledge at the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA). The objectives of the study were: to identify the sources and types of knowledge at KIPPRA; identify the enabling resources for tacit knowledge sharing; determine how tacit knowledge can be reused for innovation and competitive advantage; establish the role of management in creating a conducive environment for tacit knowledge; identify the challenges experienced in the management of tacit knowledge; give recommendations and propose a model/framework for tacit knowledge management at KIPPRA. The study adopted a qualitative research method. Interviews and observation were used as primary data collection methods. The study targeted 60 employees of KIPPRA consisting of Researchers, Young Professionals, Heads of Division, a Knowledge Manager and Administrative staff. Qualitative data collected was organized, categorized and reported in verbatim. Pie charts and tables were used to give a graphical representation of the bio data of respondents. The study found that: KIPPRA values knowledge as an asset but does not practice tacit knowledge management, both tacit and explicit knowledge exists however, no real effort has gone into the management of tacit knowledge. The study also found that KIPPRA had tacit knowledge sharing, capture, transfer and storage avenues that have not been capitalized on. ICT infrastructure is available however it does not support tacit knowledge sharing. No Communities of Practice exist at KIPPRA but tacit knowledge is reused for innovation, development and competitive advantage. KIPPRA’s management has provided a conducive environment for tacit knowledge to thrive but trust, knowledge asymmetry, and hierarchical challenges have hindered tacit knowledge harnessing. No tacit knowledge related incentives are offered at KIPPRA. The study also revealed that employees experienced challenges such as identification and understanding of tacit knowledge, access of tacit knowledge sharing platforms, and access to individuals with specific tacit knowledge, tacit knowledge hoarding, individualism and ICT related challenges in accessing tacit knowledge. Even thought the necessary elements required to facilitate Tacit Knowledge Management are available, no effort has been made to customize them to harness tacit knowledge. The study concluded that for KIPPRA to have a competitive advantage it is important that the Knowledge Manager, with the Support of KIPPRA’s Management, have concerted efforts for harnessing tacit knowledge. Key recommendations include: establishment of Communities of Practice at KIPPRA that bring together like minded individuals and also enable the building of relationships based on trust among the employees, and investment in ICT mechanisms specific to tacit knowledge management to enhance the harnessing and codification of captured tacit knowledge. Employees should also be trained on the value of tacit knowledge sharing and individualism should be discouraged. The study also recommends the adoption of a proposed framework for managing tacit knowledge at KIPPRA. / Information Science

The wave of knowledge loss that organisations are facing on account of layoffs, retirements, staff turnover and mergers gave rise to this research. The main research aim was to identify the organisational and behavioural factors that could enhance or impede tacit knowledge retention. A multidisciplinary approach focusing on knowledge management, organisational behaviour and organisational development was followed. The nature of knowledge in organisations was explored by following a contextualised theorybuilding process, focusing on epistemology, and the appearance and application of knowledge. Knowledge in the context of this research is the knowledge and experience that reside in the minds of people. It is not easily documented, and is referred to as tacit knowing. A theoretical model was developed that revealed the factors that could influence tacit knowledge retention. The model focused on human input factors taking into account knowledge loss risks, strategic risks and behavioural threats that could cause knowledge loss.The main purpose of the empirical research was to operationalise the theoretically derived knowledge retention constructs, determine statistically the enhancing and impeding factors that influence knowledge retention and develop a structural equation model to verify the theoretical model. A quantitative empirical research paradigm using the survey method was followed. A questionnaire was compiled, and a survey conducted in the water supply industry. The principal component factor analysis postulated nine factors. A composite factor, knowledge retention, as the dependent variable was compiled. The questionnaire was found to be reliable, with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .975. A structural equation model development strategy produced a new best-fitting knowledge retention model based on the new constructs postulated in the factor analysis. The model indicated that there is a direct causal relationship between strategy implementation and knowledge retention and between knowledge behaviours and knowledge retention. The regression analysis showed that most of the intercorrelations are significant, thus confirming the theory. The research contributed towards a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence tacit knowledge retention. The questionnaire and the new knowledge retention model could assist organisations in determining the extent to which knowledge is retained and where to focus in developing and implementing a knowledge retention strategy. The study encourages practitioners to take cognisance of the fact that organisations are different and that the enhacing and impeding factors of knowledge retention are to be considered. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / This thesis integrates social capital and ‘reasoned action’ theory to construct a theoretical model for investigating the factors which predict an individual’s intention to share tacit knowledge in a University of Technology. It utilizes Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998: 243) definition and conception of social capital. They define social capital as “the sum of the actual and potential resources embedded within, available through, and derived from the network of relationships possessed by an individual or social unit”. This study examined tacit knowledge sharing behaviour (i.e., knowledge that is shared between individuals) within the context of social capital. The specific type of tacit knowledge that is being studied relates to work experience ‘know-what’ and ‘know-how’. ‘Know-what’ refers to the basic mastery of a discipline that professionals achieve through education and training. ‘Know-how’ refers to procedural knowledge about a business process and the individual’s capability to perform an action with an understanding of why the action is appropriate in the particular context, (i.e., action skill or applied competence). Specifically, this study examines the relationship between the structural, relational and cognitive dimensions of social capital and the individual’s attitude towards the sharing of tacit knowledge. It further examines the relationship between the individual’s attitude towards tacit knowledge sharing, their perceived norms and perceived behavioural control over the sharing of tacit knowledge (mediating variables) and their intention to share tacit knowledge. It is a case study which consists of a mixed methods research design, incorporating nine research interviews and five hundred and fifty four self administered questionnaires. The theoretical model is examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) and as a result of the findings, the initial model is revised into a set of theoretical models, which are tested using SEM and found to be consistent with the data (i.e., a good fit). The direct, indirect and total effects of the identified predictor (social capital) and mediating variables (‘reasoned action’) on the individual’s intention to share tacit knowledge, in each model, is examined and the results are presented. Each dimension of social capital is found to be significant for predicting the criterion variable ‘attitude towards tacit knowledge sharing’. The individual’s attitude towards tacit knowledge sharing is found to be highly significant for predicting the individual’s intention to share tacit knowledge but the ‘reasoned action’ variables are found to be not as significant, particularly perceived behavioural control over the sharing of tacit knowledge. The results of this study enrich our collective understanding regarding social capital and tacit knowledge sharing behaviour. / Academy of Management, National Research Foundation, Durban University of Technology

While several U. S. firms have invested in Knowledge Management (KM) tools and software, it has become apparent that investments must be made in additional facets of KM, such as knowledge sharing (KS), thought by many researchers to be the most important component of KM. Of the two types of KS, explicit and tacit, the sharing of tacit knowledge has been shown to contribute the most to an organization’s performance. However, since tacit knowledge is difficult to both convey and acquire, this unshared tacit knowledge may ultimately harm an organization when, without the appropriate knowledge, individuals cannot effectively perform their professional responsibility. Although research has been conducted on the motivators that contribute to the sharing of tacit knowledge, the research has been conflicting. These inconsistencies could conceivably stem from measuring KS as a single factor rather than as separate components. The purpose of this study was two-fold, first to discover what motivators contributed to the sharing of tacit knowledge and second, to discover whether the sharing of knowledge when solicited differed from the sharing of knowledge when not solicited. Utilizing the Theory of Reasoned Action and Self-determination Theory as well as measuring the transfer of knowledge through externalization, as expressed by the SECI model, three research questions and 14 different hypotheses contributed to a survey instrument resulting in 370 usable survey responses. Employing confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, analysis of the data confirmed that a significant difference existed between the solicited and unsolicited sharing of tacit knowledge. This study found that measures for external, integrated, and intrinsic motivation differed among the two situational constructs of knowledge sharing. In addition, the study confirmed that a difference occurred between motivators and the two types of sharing when the sharing was mediated by a favorable attitude toward sharing.

The primary argument in this thesis is that the common assumption that an actor has emotion inside him- or herself which can be evoked and projected outwards is an outdated misconception. A proposition is made to replace this possessive acting model, which underpins the realist tradition and is based on the popularized aspects of Stanislavsky’s system for actor training, by a situational acting model. This new model is founded on the idea that emotion is something that actors “do”. Furthermore, a theory of this situational model is advanced where the actor is seen to perform emotion in an interplay with action in three different ways: in the world symbolically as an expression, of the world phenomenologically as in-sensing or out-sensing, and with the world as a becoming – which opens the actor up to greater forces of nature and society.                                      The material in this thesis has been focused on from both a contextualizing and a theoretic perspective. The contextualizing perspective places the actor’s doing of emotions in a historical context. The theoretic aspect concentrates on how performing emotions is realized in practice, and it proceeds from an analysis of two contemporary Swedish examples: the actresses Lena Endre in the role of Lady Macbeth at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm in a production of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth from 2006, and Mia Skäringer in her stage show Horny as Hell and Really Holy from 2010. In exploring this material, a combination of Paul Ricoeur’s “hermeneutics of suspicion” and Paul Stoller’s ”sensuous scholarship” is applied.           A synthetic theoretical approach is employed that is set on a phenomenological foundation in combination with theories of emotion and affect as well as gender theory and theatre theory. The discussion is informed by Michael Polanyi to gain an understanding of tacit knowledge and the role of kinesthesia; by Simone de Beauvoir to establish a perspective on the body as a situation; by Sara Ahmed to see the potential for a cultural politics of emotion and a queer view of intentionality; and by Maurice Merleau-Ponty to propose a way of looking at the human being as being of the world as opposed to in the world. Interpretations of a few of Gilles Deleuze’s and Félix Guattari’s concepts such as rhizome, becoming, and body without organs, are added to this list in order to provide a background for what the third way of doing emotion is about.

Face à l’évolution technologique rapide des produits, l’innovation incrémentale des nouveaux produits, et la mobilité du personnel le plus expérimenté, les entreprises cherchent à formaliser et à capitaliser leurs expériences et les savoir-faire des acteurs d’entreprise en vue d’une réutilisation ultérieure. Afin de répondre à cette problématique, l’approche du raisonnement à partir de cas conversationnel (RàPCC) est une réponse potentielle à la question de la capitalisation et de la réutilisation des connaissances. Notre recherche s’intéresse aux méthodes permettant de piloter le retour d’expérience (RETEX) appliqué à la résolution de problèmes techniques. Notre méthodologie pour créer un système d’aide au diagnostic des pannes est divisée en quatre phases : la description d’événements, l’élaboration de l’ensemble des solutions apportées aux pannes, la mise en place d’une aide au diagnostic grâce aux arbres de défaillances et la mise en place d’un système informatique. Afin d’extraire les connaissances tacites et les formaliser, nous avons créé des protocoles de décision dans le but d’aider l’expert à résoudre un problème industriel. Nous avons donc proposé une formulation et l’élaboration de cas conversationnels dans le domaine du diagnostic. Ces cas doivent être stockés dans une base de cas. Afin de valider notre proposition méthodologique, nous avons réalisé la phase expérimentale dans une entreprise industrielle de l’Est de la France. Nous proposons finalement une maquette informatique conçue pour l’entreprise. Cette maquette permet de réaliser un diagnostic des pannes en créant des cas dans une base de cas pour une réutilisation ultérieure / Faced with the fast technological development of products, incremental innovation of new products, and the mobility of their most experienced staff, companies are seeking to formalize and capitalize on the experiences and know-how of their personnel in order to reuse them later. To deal with these problems, the conversational case based reasoning (CCBR) approach is a potential answer to the question of capitalization and reuse of knowledge. Our research focuses on methods to manage experience feedback (EF). We are placed in the field of experience feedback applied to technical problem solving. Our methodology for creating aided failure diagnosis systems is divided into four phases: the events description, the development of all solutions to failures, the arrangement of a diagnostic aid through fault trees and setting up a computer system. We based our work on the fault tree approach in order to extract tacit knowledge and its formalization. Our objective was to create decision protocols in order to assist the expert in solving an industrial problem. Therefore, we have proposed a formulation and development of conversational cases in diagnosis. These cases must be memorised in a database of cases. To validate our proposal methodology, we have carried out the experimental phase in an industrial company in eastern France. This experiment allowed us to validate our work and highlight its advantages and limitations. Finally, we propose a computer model designed for the company. This model enables failure diagnosis by creating the case in a case base for later utilization