Knowledge can be thought of as a synthesis of information. It begins with data, or facts, which then is interpreted into information, and from information, we can derive an understanding of that information, commonly referred to as knowledge of a subject.
A person constructs knowledge by processing the information they receive from their five senses and recording it inside their brain through a combination of memory and reasoning. They can learn things directly by direct experimentation (plucking a string of a guitar makes a certain sound), by digesting information from some where else (watching a movie, reading a book) or be taught by someone.
Within a business knowledge creation is a social construct through activities as part of a business process. Not only is there "learning by doing" but exposure to the process can lead to more efficient methods and may even spark innovation. This newly created knowledge begins as innate knowledge and is exclusive to the individual or group that created it. The process of externalizing that information so that it can be passed on can be difficult either because the information is complex or only useful in certain contexts, or simply because holding that knowledge can provide power to the employee(s) and keep them secure in their jobs.
Passing along knowledge
Teaching someone is not just recording it into information and giving it to a person, or it's close analogue of a one way lecture. It's an active process where you actively assist someone in the 'digestion' of information. You observe where they have problems, assist them by explaining things in more detail or more simply to them, or physically guide them in the case of physical skills. Often you have to get out of the way and let them reason and experiment with information themselves. A tutor is like a personal information learning assistant, while a teacher or professor is like a managerial version of tutor. A teacher is responsible for leading a group of learners, determining what information they will presented about next, to track progress and unfortunately give out compensation in the form of grades. They are even responsible for firing (failing grades) and promotions (exceptional grades).
Reasoning
When a person has knowledge they can then reason about that knowledge to create more knowledge. They can take various facts and observations and link them together in their mind. Since human memory is relational, something that is similar or linked to something else tends to remind us of that something else, this noticing of connections and reasoning ability is what makes knowledge an active process vs just static information. People can find rote memorization of facts (information) harder for example vs learning about a subject as a system (knowledge). So knowledge is an active process that uses information inside a persons brain.
Knowledge can be either implicit or explicit knowledge. In the case of the equation 2 x 2, we can derive that the answer is 4. This would be considered an explicit understanding. When we consider the very subject of knowledge itself, this would be more of an implicit understanding. It is hard to put in words a tacit and fluid definition and in the context of communiation, we need to turn what is implcitly understood into explicit understanding to avoid misunderstandings of the varying discourse of definitions.
Implicit Understanding
This is the knowledge that individuals hold that is not easily articulated. This is the result of experience, the culture, the general unwritten rules of a system. It's the sort of knowledge that people mean when they say things like "after you work here for a while, you'll get a feel for how things are done". It is often difficult to document because of its complexity or variability and is generally passed on through socialization.
Explicit Understanding
Explicit knowledge can be generally described as "knowledge that can be documented". It consists of information, rules and procedures that can be defined and codified. It can be combined with other explicit knowledge to generate new understanding. Manuals, databases and the like are examples of explicit knowledge.
How is knowledge constructed?
Knowledge can be thought of as a synthesis of information. It begins with data, or facts, which then is interpreted into information, and from information, we can derive an understanding of that information, commonly referred to as knowledge of a subject.
A person constructs knowledge by processing the information they receive from their five senses and recording it inside their brain through a combination of memory and reasoning. They can learn things directly by direct experimentation (plucking a string of a guitar makes a certain sound), by digesting information from some where else (watching a movie, reading a book) or be taught by someone.
Within a business knowledge creation is a social construct through activities as part of a business process. Not only is there "learning by doing" but exposure to the process can lead to more efficient methods and may even spark innovation. This newly created knowledge begins as innate knowledge and is exclusive to the individual or group that created it. The process of externalizing that information so that it can be passed on can be difficult either because the information is complex or only useful in certain contexts, or simply because holding that knowledge can provide power to the employee(s) and keep them secure in their jobs.
Passing along knowledge
Teaching someone is not just recording it into information and giving it to a person, or it's close analogue of a one way lecture. It's an active process where you actively assist someone in the 'digestion' of information. You observe where they have problems, assist them by explaining things in more detail or more simply to them, or physically guide them in the case of physical skills. Often you have to get out of the way and let them reason and experiment with information themselves. A tutor is like a personal information learning assistant, while a teacher or professor is like a managerial version of tutor. A teacher is responsible for leading a group of learners, determining what information they will presented about next, to track progress and unfortunately give out compensation in the form of grades. They are even responsible for firing (failing grades) and promotions (exceptional grades).
Reasoning
When a person has knowledge they can then reason about that knowledge to create more knowledge. They can take various facts and observations and link them together in their mind. Since human memory is relational, something that is similar or linked to something else tends to remind us of that something else, this noticing of connections and reasoning ability is what makes knowledge an active process vs just static information. People can find rote memorization of facts (information) harder for example vs learning about a subject as a system (knowledge). So knowledge is an active process that uses information inside a persons brain.
Knowledge can be either implicit or explicit knowledge. In the case of the equation 2 x 2, we can derive that the answer is 4. This would be considered an explicit understanding. When we consider the very subject of knowledge itself, this would be more of an implicit understanding. It is hard to put in words a tacit and fluid definition and in the context of communiation, we need to turn what is implcitly understood into explicit understanding to avoid misunderstandings of the varying discourse of definitions.
Implicit Understanding
This is the knowledge that individuals hold that is not easily articulated. This is the result of experience, the culture, the general unwritten rules of a system. It's the sort of knowledge that people mean when they say things like "after you work here for a while, you'll get a feel for how things are done". It is often difficult to document because of its complexity or variability and is generally passed on through socialization.
Explicit Understanding
Explicit knowledge can be generally described as "knowledge that can be documented". It consists of information, rules and procedures that can be defined and codified. It can be combined with other explicit knowledge to generate new understanding. Manuals, databases and the like are examples of explicit knowledge.
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