Tacit Knowledge: Conceptualizations and Operationalizations

This study reviews the use of the term "tacit knowledge" in the knowledge management and broader management literature and argues that it is frequently used with an inadequate definition as a catch-all phrase for any knowledge that is not formally recorded. A framework of categories of knowledge is developed to clarify different authors' conceptualizations of the tacit dimension of knowledge. This framework distinguishes between how different types of knowledge are acquired, manifested, and transferred. These are key distinctions for researchers aiming to investigate aspects of tacit knowledge. Two operationalizations of the tacit knowledge concept that have been applied in the business domain are discussed.