Capturing Tacit Knowledge

(Methods and Techniques)

IAEA Regional Training course on Innovative Approaches for

Nuclear Knowledge Management Using e-Learning Through

Learning Management System

24 – 28 November 2014

Daejeon, Republic of Korea

I hear, I forget.

I see, I remember.

I do, I understand

Confucius 551 BCE – 479 BCE, ancient Chinese thinker and

philosopher

Main Topics

Prioritisation of Knowledge 1

Knowledge Capture (KC) Background 2

Knowledge Capture Techniques 3

Conclusion 4

Knowledge Prioritisation

• All knowledge in an organisation does not need to be identified and captured

• It is important to identify those individuals who have “critical knowledge” first

• NPPs experience shows that only a small % (<1%) of staff have critical knowledge

• In R&D organizations about 10 % of staff have critical knowledge

Identification of Critical

Knowledge

• 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 knowledge with

high performance

Prioritisation &Identification of Critical Knowledge

Unique knowledge

staff

Very often the process of identification of critical

knowledge becomes the real history of success as

during it considerable resources of economy and

efficiency increase are found out.

Very often received results help to modify working

processes and considerably decrease risks of loss of

critical knowledge in the future.

Identification of Critical Knowledge

Knowledge Types

Know-what – main knowledge

Know-how – knowledge of a way of actions

Know-who – knowledge of the necessary people

Know-when – right actions at the right time

Know-where – binding to a place

Know-why – vision of a situation as a whole

5W + H

Nonaka’s SECI Model

Capturing Critical 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 knowledge is critical to organisation

• Experts can be replaced…….

Requirements for KC Techniques

• Are simple to use by experts and knowledge facilitators

• 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 are required which:

Knowledge Capture Techniques

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 during performing an action)

6. Observation (watch & learn)

7. Constrained Tasks (e.g. questions which require yes/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:

Methods for capturing tacit knowledge

59%

34%

29%

27%

27%

0% 50% 100%

Employee interview

Photo and video

Questionnaire

Other

Knowledge mapping

14

Interviews

• 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 a transcript.

• Three main types of interview:

• -Unstructured interviews have an outline agenda but no pre-defined questions or structure

• -Semi-structured interviews have a structured agenda with the flexibility to ask additional questions following an answer

• -Structured interviews. This allows no flexibility. All questions are pre-established.

The process may be implemented as follows:

Interviews(2)

Knowledge

Expert Learner

Workshop

Structured

Interviews

(with audio

recording)

Written

transcripts

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 and asked

• Formulating questions is best achieved by facilitators who know the subject knowledge

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

• Involve other experts in the interview to ask right 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 :

Interviews(4)

What kinds of knowledge or skills do you now have that (organization

name) will miss most when you leave?

If you had to leave (organization name) suddenly and only had one day

left to brief your replacement, what would you put on your list of

things to tell them.

What are the key resources (procedures, manuals, etc.) that you use

to do your job?

What are the key contacts for expert advice, decisions, permissions.

What kinds of knowledge or skills do you now have that are nonstandard (i.e., uncommon) and which you possess or have developed about the diagnosis of complex problems.

Typical questions:

See “Guide to Identifying Knowledge Clusters”

Laddering and Concept Mapping

• Laddering is a diagrammatic way of representing knowledge 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 labelled arrows

Laddering and Concept Mapping

Concept Mapping Example

Laddering and Concept Mapping

• Ladders and concept maps provide a good visual method of representing knowledge

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

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

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

Some things to consider :

Process Modelling

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

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

• Process knowledge is often found in procedures. However, in many organisations the procedures often don’t align with what really happens!

• Much tacit knowledge is process knowledge

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

Process Modelling

Process Modelling

• 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 rethink processes 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.

Some things to consider :

Commentating

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

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

• Usually used in a one-to-one situation between expert and learner (mentoring environment)

• Knowledge can be captured and processed using any of the previous methods – e.g. using ladders, concept maps etc.

Observation

• Observational techniques are another valuable means of capturing knowledge

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

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

• In general simple observation techniques are rarely used, as they are an inefficient means of capturing the required knowledge

Constrained Tasks

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

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

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

• Examples include structured interviews, self assessment questionnaires, quizzes, guessing games

Concept Sorting (Card Sorting)

• Sorting techniques are a well-known method for capturing the way experts 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 name of 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 questions about the relationships between concepts

Concept Sorting (Card Sorting)

Repertory Grid

• This technique is used to capture properties/characteristics of an object

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

• Useful for tacit knowledge

• The technique is essentially table-based

Repertory Grid

Good practices to capture tacit knowledge

The use of photography and video recording in capturing actual

activities conducted by experts, such as in workshops, seminars,

lectures, experiments, etc.

Conduct exit interviews of employees leaving the organization on how

they carry out their tasks and duties.

Conduct of mentoring/coaching by experts or senior personnel to

younger or new personnel.

Organize on-job training for younger or new personnel.

Encourage informal communication between experts and novices in the

organization.

Implement the culture of working in teams inside the organization.

Conduct self-assessment by each staff’s achievements.

Collaborate with communities of practice.

Implement online collaborations, where the conduct of researches or

projects is done through e-workgroups and where procedures are

available online.

34

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF

METHODS AND TOOLS FOR NUCLEAR

KNOWLEDGE PRESERVATION

IAEA Nuclear Energy Series Report (NG-T-6.7), 2011

35

IAEA COORDINATED

RESEARCH PROJECT ON

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF

METHODS AND TOOLS

FOR NUCLEAR KNOWLEDGE

PRESERVATION, 2006 - 2009

Conclusion

A knowledge loss risk assessment process is a valuable method to help identify critical knowledge

Tacit knowledge is generally more valuable but is difficult to capture

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

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

It is important not to try to capture knowledge from everyone. Focus on critical knowledge based on the results of a risk assessment