In order to implement a successful knowledge management program, you need to know what you already have. In other words, you need to be able to take an inventory of the knowledge your organization possesses. As well, you need to be able to manage this inventory.

A great technique for deciding how to manage your knowledge is to determine which knowledge you would like to focus on capturing: tacit or explicit. This decision should be based on the type of business your organization is involved in.

Let’s use some examples to illustrate this process. If you work for a health insurance company and deal with large volumes of claims and other organizational data, you may want to focus on capturing explicit knowledge. The workers in this organization have connections with others, but they would mainly be required to carefully follow explicit policies. Therefore, the management and codification of explicit knowledge would be paramount for this type of industry.

Now imagine your business is within the oil and gas industry. You are a global firm with established processes and procedures, but your industry strives for innovation and creativity. In this type of company, a focus on capturing tacit knowledge would be best. While you need a comprehensive system for dealing with explicit knowledge, your industry will rely more on employee networking in the effort to share best practices and creatively problem solve.

If you examine the two examples above, it is apparent that the accumulation, sharing, and storing of knowledge does not have to be strictly explicit or tacit. A good program will encompass both worlds. For example, a knowledge management program focused on explicit knowledge will also provide ways to connect people. A program that is focused on tacit knowledge will have a system for managing explicit knowledge. However, a great knowledge management program will focus on capturing the type of knowledge they need to take their business to the next level.