Narratives of knowledge and intelligence … beyond the tacit and explicit

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to revisit the key terms in knowledge management (KM), particularly tacit and explicit, to develop a better framework for a theoretical and practical understanding of KM.

Design/methodology/approach

With the help of concepts like articulation and discourse, borrowed from applied linguistics, the relationships between data, information, the components of information in its various forms, knowledge and narrative are explored, to develop an integrated framework for the understanding of the complexities of the domain of knowledge management.

Findings

This study rovides a detailed assessment of the contribution of the tacit/explicit distinction to the KM debate. Develops new distinctions between formal and ante‐formal information, procedural information and contextual analysis, a model of the process of developing objective information, and a model of knowledge as an articulation of procedural information and contextual analysis.

Research limitations/implications

The usefulness of the framework will only be tested when it is applied in research and in management practice. This will depend on whether the concepts and terms introduced here find their way into more common usage.

Practical implications

The study provides a useful framework and set of tools for understanding and managing the various different aspects of information, knowledge, intellectual capital, and competitive intelligence.

Originality/value

The paper brings together concepts and analytical tools from different disciplines (KM, applied linguistics, semiotics) to develop a new framework for analyzing how the component elements of KM articulate with each other. In more detail, the paper unpacks the relationships between ante‐formal and formal information, procedural information and contextual analysis, the processes of objectification of information and the formation of knowledge, and the notion of knowledge as inherently narrative.

Citation

Williams, R. (2006), "Narratives of knowledge and intelligence … beyond the tacit and explicit", Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol. 10 No. 4, pp. 81-99. https://doi.org/10.1108/13673270610679381