Innovation management includes the management of processes to strive for novel
assignments through the combination and integration of different knowledge components.
Besides, next to explicit knowledge, tacit knowledge has a crucial influence on the success
of innovation processes in companies. The sole application of tacit knowledge cannot
guarantee an effective innovation process as organizational knowledge for innovation is
created through a continuous dialogue between tacit and explicit knowledge, where four
different modes of knowledge conversion can be postulated. Tacit knowledge is mobilized
through a dynamic combination of the different modes of knowledge conversion in a
process, which can be called a “spiral model” of knowledge creation. Tacit knowledge is an
important driver in the innovation process and its application has significant impact on the
innovation process and, therefore, plays a prominent role as a company resource and
success factor.
Compared to the work on explicit knowledge, the management of tacit knowledge is
relatively unexplored. The authors of this paper want to assess the significance and
implications of tacit knowledge in the innovation process. Therefore, it is essential to
understand the different approaches of tacit knowledge in knowledge management and
innovation management literature, and its assigned characteristics. The purpose of this
paper is to structure the existing research by identifying the underlying dimensions. The
role of tacit knowledge in innovation management is explored; creation, availability and
transfer of tacit knowledge within the organization are discussed, and examples of barriers
to generating and sharing tacit knowledge are given.
Based on this literature review the authors have developed an integrated model describing
the impact of tacit knowledge on successful innovation management. Key levers for tacit
knowledge management have been identified and the positive impact of tacit knowledge on
innovation success is analysed. In a next step, this model will be tested by an empirical
study.
Finally, suggestions for future research are discussed. |