Tacit Knowledge - The Key for Decision Making in Nuclear Industry

It is common to make some difference between data, information and knowledge. Typically, data represents facts or symbols out of context. Thus they are not directly or immediately meaningful. But data placed within some context, in which they represent some meaningful pattern, make information. As information is converted into a valid basis for action, it becomes knowledge. Knowledge is the structured accumulation of information. There are two levels of knowledge: explicit and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge can be formally articulated or encoded. Therefore it can be more easily transferred or shared. Explicit knowledge are the words we speak, the books we read, the reports we write, the data we compile... The greater level of knowledge is tacit knowledge. It includes intuition, perspectives, beliefs and values that people form as a result of their experiences. Tacit knowledge is subconsciously understood and applied, difficult to articulate, and usually shared through highly interactive conversation, story-telling and shared experience. Differences in performance between companies are a result of their different knowledge bases and differing capabilities in developing and deploying knowledge. The knowledge management of the company could be considered as the principal driver of all other competencies and capabilities. It is important to investigate the properties of different types of knowledge, in particular the difference between tacit and explicit knowledge, and the relationship between individual and social knowledge. Actually, there is an interaction between two types of knowledge: explicit knowledge is shared through a combination processes and becomes tacit knowledge through internalization; tacit knowledge is shared through a socialization process and becomes explicit through externalization. Although it is much easier to stimulate, combine and communicate the explicit dimensions of knowledge than the tacit, there are numerous situations in which tacit knowledge cannot or will not be totally converted into explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge management is a significant challenge in the business world. But not all tacit knowledge is valuable or even accurate. Although we may not be able to judge the knowledge itself, tacit knowledge is a big resource for all activities, especially for innovation. This article presents some outlines in order to understand potential, complexity and the role of tacit knowledge in decision making processes, especially in nuclear industry.(author)