Originally posted 08-Aug-24
David Gurteen is Director of Gurteen Knowledge. He is a writer, speaker, and conversational facilitator, working in knowledge management, organizational learning, and conversational leadership.
David is the founder of the Gurteen Knowledge Community, a global network of more than 22,000 people in over 160 countries whose purpose is to connect its members with like-minded people, new ideas, and alternative ways of working. He is the creator of the Gurteen Knowledge Café, a tool for bringing people together to have meaningful conversations.
David curates Gurteen Knowledge, a resource website that contains book reviews, articles, people profiles, event calendars, inspirational quotations, and a blog on subjects that include knowledge management, informal learning, creativity, and innovation. He is an advocate for improving the quality of conversation in people’s lives.
For more about David, see Profiles in Knowledge.
Books
The Relationship between Explicit Knowledge and Tacit Knowledge
Here are a few reasons why explicit knowledge always has a tacit component:
- Contextual understanding: Explicit knowledge is often presented concisely and formally, but its interpretation and application require a deeper understanding of the context in which it was developed. This contextual understanding, which involves tacit knowledge about the field, the cultural and historical background, and the underlying assumptions, is essential for fully comprehending and utilizing explicit knowledge.
- Personal experience and intuition: Even when dealing with explicit knowledge, we bring our personal experiences, intuitions, and practical know-how to the table. This tacit knowledge shapes how we interpret, apply, and make sense of explicit information. For example, a skilled carpenter may follow explicit instructions in a woodworking manual, but their tacit knowledge gained through years of experience allows them to adapt and optimize the processes based on their understanding of materials, tools, and techniques.
- Interpretation and application: Explicit knowledge is often insufficient for practical application. Interpreting and applying explicit knowledge in specific situations requires tacit knowledge about problem-solving, decision-making, and adapting to changing circumstances. This tacit knowledge is often acquired through experience, mentorship, and learning by doing.
- Cognitive limitations: We have limitations in articulating and formalizing all aspects of our knowledge. Some forms of knowledge, such as intuitive insights or embodied skills, are challenging to express explicitly and remain largely tacit. This tacit component serves as a foundation for acquiring and utilizing explicit knowledge.
Principles of Conversational Leadership
First, we need to recognize face-to-face conversation’s extraordinary and underutilized power. It helps us to figure out new ways of seeing the world by bringing different perspectives to bear on an issue. This, in turn, leads to improved decision-making, better strategy-making, and improved innovation.
Second, we need a new approach to leadership. We need a distributed, participatory, more democratic form of leadership. We need everyone who cares deeply about an issue to take responsibility, step up to the mark and lead through their influence.
Conversational Leadership is about appreciating the transformative power of conversation, practicing leadership, and adopting a conversational approach to working together in a complex world. Its principles are:
- Take Responsibility: We can choose to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the world.
- Embrace Complexity: We need to understand complexity and its implications.
- Practice Leadership: We all have influence and the potential to lead and make a difference. Leadership is a choice.
- Leverage the Power of Conversation: We need to improve our conversational skills.
- Nurture Community: We need to care more about each other.
