Externalising Tacit Knowledge for Improving Practices: Experience from Leadership Programmes under ESRA
Michael Polanyi (1966) made clear distinction between two kinds of knowledge: explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge can easily be expressed and communicated to others in words and numbers, mathematical expressions and scientific formulas. While tacit knowledge is embedded in individual experiences and involves subjective insights, perspectives, intuitions, hunches and beliefs. This makes tacit knowledge hard to articulate with formal language or expressive structures. Based on these categories of knowledge, Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) proposed that human knowledge is created and expanded through interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge. They proposed four modes of knowledge creation: socialization (from tacit knowledge to tacit knowledge), combination (from explicit knowledge to explicit knowledge), internalisation (from explicit knowledge to tacit knowledge) and externalisation (from tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge).
Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) also noted that among four modes of knowledge creation, externalisation is the most neglected one in organizations, although being the most crucial. The ignorance about externalisation is equally valid when it comes to developing and delivering any training or professional development programme. The same observation seems to largely hold true in the context of leadership development programmes. By and large, the programmes either undermine or do not realize the real value of externalising tacit knowledge and its effect for knowledge creation and subsequently on enhancing leadership skills of the course participants. This observation resonates with our personal experience of conducting leadership development programmes throughout our career. Skyrme (2001) argued for the value of converting tacit knowledge into explicit form in enhancing organizational knowledge and subsequently the practices of professionals. In a recently held course at AKU-IED for leadership development of public sector managers from nine districts of Sindh and Baluchistan, an attempt was made to conceptualise and deliver the course with a focus to externalise participants' tacit knowledge. This paper will share strategies used to externalise the tacit knowledge and the successes and challenges in this respect and its subsequent impact on participants' learning and practices. Some of the strategies that were used include mind maps, narrating stories and jokes, sharing metaphors and performing skits and role plays.
The paper will further elaborate on: a) how the strategies were received by the participants; b) how these strategies helped in classroom interaction, and c) how these strategies impacted the quality of their field assignments (leadership practices). The paper is based on the collective reflections of teaching team, analysis of reflective journals of the course participants, anecdotes from field observations collected during field components, images produced and stories narrated by the participants, and analysis of Qiydaat Naama (a magazine produced by course participants during the course). The paper suggests that the design of leadership and management development courses should have a clear focus on strategies to capture and build on tacit knowledge of participants as it helps to bring more energy and interaction in the sessions and consequently increases the chances of impacting their leadership practices.
References
Nonaka, I. (1995). The knowledge-creating company. New York: Oxford University Press.
Skyrme, D. J. (2001). Knowledge Networking. Butterworth-Heinemann: Replika Press Pvt Ltd.