We discussed Open Innovation and Collaboration with Jos Schuurmans today. How could we help our clients to find their way in the social media landscape?
Quite a few are afraid to take their first step towards the "House of Social Media Terror" ;) even though that's the way every single producer and service provider has to take sooner or later.
Finnish companies are reluctant to speak out while being afraid that their competition will learn to much about their products and services.
Effective transfer of tacit knowledge generally requires extensive personal contact, regular interaction[3] and trust. This kind of knowledge can only be revealed through practice in a particular context and transmitted through social networks.[4] To some extent it is "captured" when the knowledge holder joins a network or a community of practice.[3]
The "Keep Quiet, Stay Silent" attitude is huge challenge for those who would like to improve customers Internet and Social Media presence.
Small and Medium Size companies are afraid to disclose valuable information about their IP's, patents, and innovations.
Jos Schuurman's company Cluetail Ltd. promises: "Be found, be seen, be heard! We optimize your web channels, get your message out, and help you to keep improving. Let’s give your brand’s online presence a boost!"
Cluetail is the brain child of Jos Schuurmans (LinkedIn), a seasoned journalist, early Internet adopter, and corporate communications veteran.
Jos has conceptualized, project-managed and run online publishing concepts since the early 1990s. He’s worked for public media, educational institutions as well as in corporate communications settings; for local not-for-profits as well as stock-listed companies. The teams that Jos has worked with have won several communications and media innovation awards.
The name ‘Cluetail’ is derived from the Cluetrain Manifesto and the Long Tail, two ideas that have profoundly influenced our thinking about marketing communication and the Internet.
Credibility. To build a positive brand reputation can take up to 25 years, the equivalence of a new generation growing up. Yet, reputations can be destroyed in the blink of an eye.
For a brand therefore, in expressing itself, credibility is more important than anything.
The way one attends to credibility in communication is by submitting fact and opinion relevant to one’s audience, in a balanced fashion. Cluetail's background in journalism is their asset.
Comments
"The sharing economy is disrupting existing markets and changing the face of business," said Matthew Hancock, the Business and Enterprise Minister.
"By opening doors for everyday entrepreneurs to trade directly with each other online, these new market places are driving down costs and pushing the frontiers of innovation," said the Minister.
This is very true but very difficult to understand for a traditional B2B marketer who relies on snail-mail, FAX and Email.
The idea of Home Page suites a Finnish company very well. Clients can come and go, do window(s) Shopping and place the order with sales (at) quiet.com whenever they like; which never is going to happen.
The Sharing Cities Network
Shareable has been telling stories from the frontlines of the sharing movement since 2009. Stories of tool lending libraries, timebanks, community clothing swaps, and visions of a worldwide sharing economy. Over time, the visions have turned into realities, the seedlings into sprouting truths. It’s undeniable: the sharing movement is growing every day.
Sharing Cities Network
But the sharing transformation isn’t just about my city or your city. It’s about all of us, everywhere, working to create a better world both locally and globally. In an effort to facilitate the convergence of disparate sharing efforts worldwide the Sharing Cities Network was born. The Sharing Cities Network is a grassroots network of sharing leaders around the world that are building ‘sharing cities’ one project or initiative at a time while working towards a much bigger vision. The goal is to create and support cities with local, cooperative economies through shared housing, energy, food, transit, work, tools, education, and finance.
Taking part in the Sharing Cities Network is a pretty inspiring experience. Through webinars, google hangouts, emails, and in person conversations this network shares successes, mistakes, lessons learned, and best practices. Creating new sharing projects can be daunting but it doesn’t feel like starting from scratch when you have the experience and support of folks who have been there right by your side.
A good Finnish definition about customer care: "menestyvimmät yritykset ovat suorastaan pakkomielteisiä asiakkaansa elinkaariarvon ymmärtämisessä."
You Write: "Tacit would then refer to knowledge or information that is inside people's heads (or even in unshared documents), which they have not shared with others although it may not be difficult to codify or articulate."
Many Finnish SMS technology companies operate in narrow B2B environments. It's true that a lot of knowledge is accumulated in the heads of key-employees. These employees are often to busy with their projects and business engagements to take the time to write or speak out their specific skills.
The management doesn't encourage or demand written reports. I know a lot of business owners who operate their businesses while on the road. They don't have the facilities or experience (read: corporate culture doesn't require) to write down their thoughts. Most important messages are shared in phone conversations.
Clients do require "technical documentation" but these documents do not contain "tacit knowledge", it's more or less nuts and bolts about how the machine and process is operating and how to maintain the PRODUCT.
At meetings, there is a lot of talk about documentation but it's the last thing the experts are willing / content to do. They are doers, not writers. And there are no secretaries in SMS anymore.
So, the "tacit" never rises high enough on the agenda. Why not buy outside services to solve the problem? Good idea, but they don't know where to go shopping. Advertising agencies do not understand how to deal with the sleeping (deep) information. The AD-man is not used to ask the right questions (Needed: tech-therapists).
They could ask us! - but mos of them don't know that we exist ;) and the experts are also jealous about their acquired knowledge.Sharing the information might undermine the experts position in the company.
I'm still covering the problem, while we both know what would be the solution. The key to open innovation is to build a trustful dialogue with the management and key-employees and to show them the value for the company.
Most of this is true in big companies as well. Their technical documentation is better and fancier but the tacit stuff is ignored there as well.
I didn't mention Internet or social media. The platforms are only tools. We should talk in terms of journalism, interviews, and documentation; speak a language that business owners and managers understand.
Social Media Made Simple = SMMS ;)
Thanks again for an inspiring Skype call today, Helge!
I think the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge in the way you describe it is correct. There will certainly be value in finding ways to codify and articulate the cognitive dimension of tacit knowledge.
In organisational communications, I believe a different interpretation of "tacit" versus "explicit" knowledge is often made. Tacit would then refer to knowledge or information that is inside people's heads (or even in unshared documents), which they have not shared with others although it may not be difficult to codify or articulate.
If one wanted to share business information inside the organisation, this could be seen as relatively low-hanging fruit. The tools to share more via internal media are readily available. Among the obstacles are organisational strategy (top-down) and culture (bottom-up). Especially culture, as someone said: "Culture will have strategy for breakfast, lunch and dinner any day."
I believe that both strategy and culture need to be addressed if one wishes to make (codifiable) tacit knowledge explicit and available to others. But in order for anyone in any business to initiate such change, we need a thorough pro's and con's analysis. If management doesn't see the ROI and if colleagues don't see personal value in sharing, or don't have material incentives to do so, it won't happen.
So, what are they, the arguments in favor and against?
Tacit knowledge has been described as “know-how” – as opposed to “know-what” (facts), “know-why” (science), or “know-who” (networking)[citation needed]. It involves learning and skill but not in a way that can be written down. On this account knowing-how or embodied knowledge is characteristic of the expert, who acts, makes judgments, and so forth without explicitly reflecting on the principles or rules involved. The expert works without having a theory of his or her work; he or she just performs skillfully without deliberation or focused attention[4]
Tacit knowledge vs. Explicit knowledge:[8] Although it is possible to distinguish conceptually between explicit and tacit knowledge, they are not separate and discrete in practice. The interaction between these two modes of knowing is vital for the creation of new knowledge.[9]
Tacit knowledge is not easily shared. Although it is that which is used by all people, it is not necessarily able to be easily articulated. It consists of beliefs, ideals, values, schemata and mental models which are deeply ingrained in us and which we often take for granted. While difficult to articulate, this cognitive dimension of tacit knowledge shapes the way we perceive the world.
Tacit knowledge (as opposed to formal, codified or explicit knowledge) is the kind of knowledge that is difficult to transfer to another person by means of writing it down or verbalizing it.
For example, stating to someone that London is in the United Kingdom is a piece of explicit knowledge that can be written down, transmitted, and understood by a recipient.
However, the ability to speak a language, use algebra,[1] or design and use complex equipment requires all sorts of knowledge that is not always known explicitly, even by expert practitioners, and which is difficult or impossible to explicitly transfer to other users.