Tacit knowledge

We can know more than we can tell. — Michael Polanyi, The Tacit Dimension (1966)

After Polanyi. The implicit, intuitive understanding or know-how that people possess but struggle to articulate or codify. Example of “how to ride a bike”.

Given that experts often perform better than novices, even when following the same explicit instructions, there must be knowledge beyond what’s explicitly stated.

Tacit knowledge resists documentation or encoding. Often context-dependent, acquired through practice, observation, personal interaction?

Poses problems for knowledge transfer and knowledge management.

• [&] See also: lay expertise
• [?] Is there a clear boundary between tacit and explicit knowledge?
• [?] What role does tacit knowledge play in creativity and innovation?