Which of the following is true of tacit knowledge?
A. It is easily codified and transferred from person-to-person.
B. Formulas and definitions are examples of tacit knowledge.
C. Formal training and development programs limit the extent to which tacit knowledge can be acquired.
D. It cannot be shared through employee personal interactions with peers, colleagues, and experts.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is C. Formal training and development programs limit the extent to which tacit knowledge can be acquired.
Explanation:
Tacit knowledge refers to the kind of knowledge that is difficult to formalize or communicate and is often gained through personal experience, skills, and insights. It includes things like “know-how” or intuition that individuals acquire over time.
Here’s why the other options are incorrect:
- A. It is easily codified and transferred from person-to-person.
This is false because tacit knowledge is not easily codified. It’s implicit and often deeply embedded in individual experiences, making it difficult to document or formalize. Unlike explicit knowledge (which can be written down or shared easily), tacit knowledge often requires hands-on experience, learning by doing, or mentoring to transfer. - B. Formulas and definitions are examples of tacit knowledge.
This is also incorrect. Formulas and definitions are examples of explicit knowledge, which is easy to articulate and share. Tacit knowledge, in contrast, involves more abstract, intuitive knowledge that is often difficult to articulate or express in words. - D. It cannot be shared through employee personal interactions with peers, colleagues, and experts.
This is not true. Tacit knowledge is often shared through personal interactions, mentoring, collaboration, and working closely with others. Through these interactions, individuals share experiences, insights, and tips that are not readily found in manuals or books.
Why C is the correct answer:
Tacit knowledge often requires personal experience and hands-on practice, which is hard to fully acquire through formal training programs. While formal training can provide a base of explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge is often passed through informal channels such as mentorship, job shadowing, or day-to-day interactions. Formal programs, by their nature, tend to focus more on codified information and may not allow the depth of experiential learning necessary for tacit knowledge acquisition. Therefore, formal training might limit the development and sharing of tacit knowledge.