International Journal of Information Management 21 (2001) 3}20
Mismanagement of tacit knowledge: the importance of tacit knowledge, the danger of information technology, and what to do about it
Jon-Arild Johannessen *, Johan Olaisen , Bj+rn Olsen
Norwegian School of Management, Bod~ Graduate School of Business, Evenvollvn. 46, 2623-Vestre Gausdal, Norway Norwegian School of Management, Norway Graduate School of Business, Norway
Abstract Businesses are increasingly "nding themselves in a world characterized by globalization, turbulence and complexity, paralleled with an exponential advancement in information technology (IT). Although empirical evidence indicates a lack of support for the positive economic impact of IT, we have seen that companies increasingly invest in the new technology. As this technology is limited to the transfer of explicit knowledge, this may relegate tacit knowledge to the background, in spite of the strategic importance of tacit knowledge, hence, leading to the mismanagement of knowledge. The problem stated in this article is as follows: How does investment in, and the use of IT in#uence tacit knowledge and what impact does this have on the ability of "rms' to create sustainable competitive advantages? The purpose of the article is to improve our understanding of the role of tacit knowledge and to re#ect on and give guidance on how to handle the relationship between tacit knowledge and IT. 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Keywords: Information technology; Tacit knowledge; Innovation; Knowledge management
1. Introduction Business are increasingly "nding themselves in a world characterized by globalization, turbulence and complexity, paralleled with an exponential advancement in information and communication technology, denoted in its extreme form as hypercompetition (D'aveni, 1994). Within this picture, signifying the transition from an industrial society to a knowledge-based society, we have witnessed an increasing...