KNOWLEDGE

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WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE?

Knowledge encompasses technology!  In everyday language, we distinguish between information and data, arranging each in meaningful patterns.  Knowledge, which has historically been regarded as something that is believed, relates to something that is true and that is reliable.

There are three terms that we use to define and consolidate our understanding of knowledge before we begin:
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Data - Facts or figures, fragments of information, but not knowledge itself.  Data can be quantitative or qualitative.  On its own, data is not of much use to us.  However, when data is processed, interpreted, organized, structured, or presented to become meaningful or useful, it is called:

• Information - provides context for data.
• Knowledge - information and skills acquired through experience or education, the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

When we break down our simple definition of knowledge, the role of 'learning' becomes apparent.  Learning through practice and education.
 
At its core, INFORMATION is tangible.  You can capture it, store it, reproduce it or distribute it.  It is also static.  Although it can be interpreted or used in various ways, information does not do anything or make anything happen.

KNOWLEDGE SHARING

What is a Knowledge-Sharing Environment?
Changing the game around knowledge sharing requires a professional service firm to rethink the very nature of knowledge:

• Information is not knowledge.  It is the know-how around that information.
• Knowledge sharing requires the direct involvement of those with the know-how.
• The creation of knowledge and training must be as important as its consumption.
• The recognition of collaboration must be as important as that of individual performance.

Any professional service firm that views its expertise and knowledge as a valuable resource that could be a strategic advantage needs an environment that encourages knowledge sharing.  It requires a culture of collaboration, not a culture of the 'cult of the expert.'
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TYPES OF KNOWLEDGE 

Explicit Knowledge
Involves knowledge that can be:

• Captured and codified
• Expressed in words
• Quantified in numbers or symbols
• Easily articulated in processes, procedures, products, and practices

Knowledge of this form can be stored electronically or on paper, on the web, through shared storage, or through visual mediums.  As it is tangible, it can be stored, communicated, and transferred relatively easily.
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While you can learn a lot from explicit knowledge that is readily articulated, such as the content you access here from The Synchronicity Investor, you cannot underestimate the importance of tacit knowledge (knowing-how).  This knowledge is embedded in the human mind through experience or only gained through on-the-job training.
 
Tacit Knowledge
A more elusive form of knowledge that is primarily developed and attained through personal skills, experience, judgment, and intuition.  Moreover, it accumulates over time.  Tacit knowledge can also be known as a gut feeling or wisdom.  As a result, it is not always straightforward to communicate. 

An effective tacit knowledge transfer requires solid or extensive personal contact and trust.  Most physical workplace knowledge is tacit and not necessarily documented.  Instead, it exists in the workers' minds, developing knowledge exclusive to their experiences.  It is the typical form of knowledge that the public sector is at serious risk of loss due to an aging workforce.

PERSPECTIVE

Like knowledge, learning is something that people naturally do.  It happens over time.  It is a universal process that people go through as they develop new knowledge.  It is also personal.  Two people performing the same task might learn different things based on their perspectives and what is important to them in the experience.

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