Abstract:

The effective sharing of knowledge is essential to improve organisational and individual performance. Tacit knowledge is certainly the most important but difficult form of knowledge to deal with, given its soft nature and the fact that it is typically not written down or codified in any form. In any domain, tacit knowledge such as practical experience, know-how, or trick of the trade, is known to have a significant impact on the quality of work and professional effectiveness. To pass on tacit knowledge, face-to-face contacts are highly recommended. Indeed, apprenticeships continue to gain popularity as effective means for novices to gain hands-on skills and experiential knowledge from the masters.

With the shift to the digital era, online learning has emerged and now widespread. The main concern is whether or not people are able to share and gain tacit knowledge online. The question persists simply because of the paucity of empirical studies that examine the nature of knowledge shared via online learning and tacit knowledge gain. In this study, an experiment is conducted using a control group experimental study design with a sample of 154 second year undergraduate business students and 1 expert gathered together to exchange knowledge in an online Business Presentation (BP) course. A tacit knowledge inventory in the form of a questionnaire is created with BP specific workplace practices in mind. Contemporary approaches, techniques and tools like knowledge objects are integrated and applied to promote tacit knowledge sharing and retention. Exchanges are monitored and analysed using thematic analysis. Having assessed tacit knowledge ability in individuals, we are then able to ascertain the gain via online learning of practical skills in order to deliver quality and professional presentations.

The findings show that people can share knowledge that falls into the tacit knowledge spectrum in online learning. However, the amount of tacit knowledge acquired is considerably low compared to what has been echoed in many studies. This could be explained by the age, the experience, the absorptive capacity of participants and the time exposure with available tacit knowledge sources. Despite the sophistication of ICTs and instruction design techniques applied, online learners are not exploiting them in a meaningful way that facilitates tacit knowledge flow. This research indicates how much tacit knowledge can be gained in online learning and suggests the characteristics of an optimal online learning environment for tacit knowledge transfer.

Keywords:

Tacit knowledge, online learning, UK universities, knowledge objects.