Rethinking Knowledge: A Bergsonian Critique of the Notion of Tacit Knowledge^*

Abstract

The recent focus on the intangible resources of the organization in general, and specifically the notion of knowledge, has problematized the notion of organization. Rather than seeing organizations as systems that integrate the use of all kinds of physical, financial and human resources, the knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm and knowledge management literature emphasize the organization as a site for the development, use of and dissemination of knowledge and other forms of intellectual resources and assets. KBV and knowledge management literature also address the notion of knowledge as such; is knowledge what can be represented by concepts, figures, and statistics, or are there qualities inherent in knowledge that cannot easily be described, disseminated, or procured? The notion of tacit knowledge has been used to denote all forms of knowledge that cannot be represented: knowledge that cannot be fully articulated, expressed in formulas or described in documents. This paper aims to provide a critique of the notion of tacit knowledge as it is used in KBV and knowledge management literature. It examines the notion of tacit knowledge through the philosophy of Henri Bergson and concludes that the notion of tacit knowledge is little more than an umbrella term for unrepresentable knowledge. Thus, the notion of tacit knowledge should be used with care rather than being a residual category of knowledge.

Dealing with customer misbehaviour

“…Hager (2000) makes a related point when arguing that much of what gets classified as tacit knowledge actually appears to be the professional exercise of judgement, problem solving in novel circumstances-agents could give an account of their reasons and may often have to do so (in Perraton and Tarrant, 2007). As Styhre (2004) points out, knowledge is the totality of a human being's capacities and skills and must be examined as such, not through his or her abilities to express, represent, or codify these capacities. In brief, knowledge must be examined as knowledge and not as a text or a symbolic system.…”

International labour migration and tacit knowledge transactions: a multi‐level perspective

“…Hence, there are three interrelated facets of knowledge -explicit, implicit, and emancipatory (or emotional affection). And Styhre (2004) argued that the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge is a false problematisation because, in practice, they are inseparable. Instead, knowledge is an assemblage of cognitive capacities, within which intellect and intuition represent different forms of thinking.…”

Tacit knowledge spillover and sustainability in destination development

“…According to Haldin-Herrgard's (2000) study, 149 different synonyms (epitomes) were used in the literature when discussing tacit knowledge from 1958 to 2002; among them the most frequent ones were intuition, skills, values, behavior, insight, mental models, practical intelligence, and know-how. Tacit knowledge is, thus, difficult to measure and express, but is described as a critical asset for individual, group and organizational performance (Styhre, 2004). Tacit knowledge is difficult to express and it can only be acquired and transferred by means of internalization and socialization (Koskinen & Vanharanta, 2002).…”

“…Furthermore, scholars argue that knowledge can be managed as an organizational resource and can be used to create a competitive advantage (Styhre, 2004). Therefore, the production, acquisition, absorption, reproduction, and dissemination of knowledge processes have received a great attention from economic geographers and those of management and business disciplines (Howells & Bessant, 2012).…”

“…It includes a number of skills, know-how, capabilities and experiences. Knowledge generation is seen by many as the fundamental characteristic of contemporary competitive dynamics (Styhre, 2004).…”