16 Tacit Knowledge Cairns)

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Risktec Solutions

risk management and assessment for business

Tacit Know ledge Capture

Techniques

Gary Cairns



Contents

• Prioritisation of Know ledge

• Know ledge Capture (KC) Background

• Overview KC Techniques

• KC Techniques in Detail

• Summary

• Questions



Know ledge Prioritisation

• Knowledge prioritisation is based on the premisethat there is critical knowledge in an

organisation that needs to be identified• Critical Know ledge is defined as the

knowledge established in the context of aposition particularly important to the continuedsuccess of the organization that is deemedimperative for incumbents of said position to

possess before being allowed to performassociated duties and tasks



Identification of CriticalKnowledge

• Is focussed on the unique/critical skills &

knowledge possessed by an employee

• Is usually carried out by managers as part of a

knowledge loss risk assessment• Critical positions are categorised by a “position

risk factor”

• Important not to confuse critical knowledgewith high performance



Know ledge CaptureBackground

When attempting to capture and preserve knowledge it isimportant to consider the ‘type’ of knowledge targeted

Easy to identify, prioritize & capture

Manuals

Documents

Patents

CustomerQueries

Explicit Knowledge Tacit Knowledge

Difficult to identify, prioritize & capture



Nonaka’s SECI Model



Capture of Critical Know ledge

• The most valuable knowledge is in the heads of experts (tacit knowledge)

• Experts have a lot of tacit knowledge-They find it difficult to describe all they know

-Tacit knowledge is very difficult (sometimes impossible) to describe

• Experts tend to be busy

• Many experts don’t communicate or share knowledge easily• Tacit Knowledge has a limited life (~5-10 years max)

• You can’t force experts to “give away”knowledge

• Only a part of an expert’s knowledgeis critical to organisation

• Experts can be replaced…….

Some important background issues to consider first are as follows:



Requirements for KCTechniques

• Are simple to use by experts and knowledgefacilitators

• Focus on essential (critical) knowledge

• Use experts for short periods of time• Can transfer knowledge from experts to others

(learners)

• Allow knowledge to be validated, maintained,communicated and retrieved

Because of this background, KC processes arerequired which:

K l d C t T h i



Know ledge Capture Techniques- Examples

1. Interviews (unstructured, semi-structured,structured)

2. Laddering (tree diagrams, taxonomies)3. Concept Mapping (linking of concepts)4. Process Mapping (modelling a process)

5. Commentating (Commenting whilst performing anaction)

6. Observation (watch & learn)

7. Constrained Tasks (e.g. questions which requireyes/no answer)8. Concept Sorting (expert sorts objects based on

similar concepts)

9. Repertory Grid (grid of properties v values)

9 common methods to capture/model knowledge:





Interviews(1)

• The aim of these techniques is to produce a record of the knowledge,whether in audio, video, electronic or paper media.

• Audio recording is the usual method, which is then converted to produce atranscript.

• Three main types of interview:-Unstructured interviews have an outline agenda but no pre-definedquestions or structure

-Semi-structured interviews have a structured agenda with the flexibility toask additional questions following an answer-Structured interviews. This allows no flexibility. All questions are pre-established.

• Interviews can be combined with workshops to establish need, purposeand commitment from a group of experts

The process may be implemented as follows:



Interviews(2)

Knowledge

Expert Learner

Workshop

Structured

Interviews(with audio

recording)

Writtentranscripts

Knowledge

Portfolio

Retained Information

Knowledge

Repository &web site

Systematic

Training

Coaching &

Mentoring

Critical Knowledge

identification



Interviews(3)

• Interviews need planning well in advance

• Time is needed to ensure that the right questions are formulated andasked

• Formulating questions is best achieved by facilitators who know thesubject knowledge

• Allow 2 to 3 times the interview duration to produce a transcript froman audio recording and have it validated

• Involve other experts in the interview to ask technical questions

• If possible, get the learner involved in the interview process

• Interviews can be a useful entry point for all other KC techniques

Some things to consider :

L dd i d C t



Laddering and ConceptMapping(1)

• Laddering is a diagrammatic way of representingknowledge in a particular area or “knowledge domain”

• A hierarchical approach is used• A concept ladder is a special (simplified) form of ladder for

demonstrating simple relationships

• A concept ladder is also known as a taxonomy• A concept map is similar to a concept ladder – layout

usually starts from a central theme and shows concepts as

nodes and the relationships between them as labelledarrows

• Best understood with examples as follows:

Ladde ing and Concept




Ladder Example

Maintenance Knowledge!

Concept

Electrical Systems

Mechanical Systems

I&C Systems

Reactor

RVLIS

Neutron flux

Reactor pressure measurement

Reactor temperature measurement

Steam generator

SG pressure measurement

SG level measurement

MCPs

PPS

Civil Systems

Process Systems

Task

Task Component

Interface

Decision Point

Resource

Role

Attributes and Values

Categorical Attribute

Ordinal Attribute

Real Attribute

Text Attribute

URL Attribute Description

Relationship

Is part of

Has part

Input for

Has input

Resource for

Has resource

Followed by

Preceded by

Produces

Produced by

Performs

Performed by

Primary CircuitMaintenance

Laddering and Concept




Concept Map Example

Laddering and Concept




• Ladders and concept maps provide a good visual methodof representing knowledge

• Ladders and concept maps can be used to captureknowledge by building diagrams with experts directly

• Ladders and concept maps can also be used as a meansof processing and representing knowledge from aninterview, transcript or other knowledge source (e.g. book)

• IT support tools facilitate both the creation and storage ofladders and concept maps




Process Modelling(1)

• Process knowledge is knowledge related to engineering, maintenance,operations etc. and other business processes

• Process knowledge is characterised by stages, actions or events, witheach stage having inputs and outputs

• Process knowledge is often found in procedures. However, in many

organisations the procedures often don’t align with what reallyhappens!

• Much tacit knowledge is process knowledge

• Process modelling takes many forms – there is no universal standard

• Best shown by examples….

About process modelling

About process knowledge




Process Model examples

yes

No

No

No

yes

No

No

No

yes

yes

Go to Airport

Take Bus

Shouild I take car?

Take Car

Take Taxi

Accept Lift

Sould I take Taxi?

Should I take Bus?

Should I take acceptlift?

Try Taxi

I need to drive

Back to start

Need to book

Need to have correctmoney

Need to find driver

Try Bus

Try lift




• Process knowledge can be captured directly into a model or

can be taken from other sources (e.g. interviews, workshops,Communities of Practice)

• Experts often have their own unique methods of doing work

• Experts often disagree on the best way of doing things

• A good approach is to get experts together to rethinkprocesses from the beginning, agree common areas and

model this• As with ladders and concept maps, IT tools can be of great

help to capture and communicate process knowledge.




Commentating

• The expert provides a running commentary on their own orsomeone else’s performance during a task

• Used for acquiring process or skill-based knowledge (e.g.welding)

• Example - In the UK, used by the police and other services

to teach advance driving skills• Usually used in a one-to-one situation between expert and

learner (mentoring environment)

• Knowledge can be captured and processed using any ofthe previous methods – e.g. using ladders, concept mapsetc.



Observation

• Observational techniques are another valuable means ofcapturing knowledge

• Simply observing and making notes as the expert performstheir daily activities can be useful, although a time-consuming process.

• Videotaping task performance can be useful especially ifcombined with interviewing and other techniques.

• In general simple observation techniques are rarely used,

as they are an inefficient means of capturing the requiredknowledge



Constrained Tasks

• The constrained task approach limits the choices an expertis given when capturing knowledge

• This technique is often used to capture “key” knowledgeand tasks from the expert

• Can save time and can be an efficient use of the experts

time.

• Examples include structured interviews, self assessmentquestionnaires, quizzes, guessing games



Concept Sorting

• Sorting techniques are a well-known method for capturing the wayexperts compare and order concepts

• This can lead to the understanding of the knowledge about properties,tasks and relationships between concepts

• A simple example is card sorting

• Here the expert is given a number of cards each displaying the nameof a concept. The expert has the task of repeatedly sorting the cards

into piles such that the cards in each pile have something in common• Variants of this involve sorting objects or photographs rather than

cards (used where simple textual descriptions are not easy to use)

• Insights are gained by the facilitator by asking appropriate questionsabout the relationships between concepts



Repertory Grid(1)

• This technique is used to capture physical properties

• The properties are rated on a scale and cluster analysisused to arrange and group similar items

• Useful for tacit knowledge

• The technique is essentially table-based• Example as follows:

G d(2)



Repertory Grid(2)

Repertory grid example

Attribute

Flow metertype

9 – highest/best1 – lowest/worst

S



Summary

• A knowledge loss risk assessment process is a valuablemethod to help identify critical knowledge

• Tacit knowledge is generally more valuable but is difficult tocapture

• A wide variety of techniques exist (taken from knowledgeengineering & psychology) for capturing tacit knowledge

• The techniques work – but be prepared to spend a lot oftime and effort on these projects

• It is important not to try to capture knowledge fromeveryone. Focus on critical knowledge based on theresults of a risk assessment



Thank You For Your Attention

Questions ?