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Only after some investigations to the questions how knowledge can be managed, it becomes clear that we have to pay attention to another question, namely: What is knowledge? An understanding of knowledge, its references and logics is indispensable to estimate Knowledge Management.
First of all we can state that knowledge has a broad frame of reference. Knowledge includes personal and non-personal aspects, it is “more” than information and it can’t be considered as a thing or an object. In my judgement we have to take the term tacit knowledge into consideration for a further examination of knowledge. Polanyi, who introduced the term, argues that knowledge is bi-structured. He argues for the reciprocal relation of a knowledge-background and -foreground. He views knowledge as a combination of unconscious and conscious propositions. That’s why Polanyi said that “we know more than we can tell”. Following that I suggest to define knowledge as a social practice formed in interactive situations and tacitly embedded in different contexts.Knowledge Management that wants to pay attention to the tacit constitution of knowledge becomes an ambivalent project. It stands in the tension between information and knowledge, between formalization and subjectivity. On the one hand it enables auspicious perspectives and on the other hand it requires to get involved with contingent processes. Nevertheless a systematic handling of knowledge in an organization is possible. Therefore it can be referred to many ideas, tools and methods which have to be adjusted to the organizational practice. But Knowledge Management is not primarily a question of technology. The main question is how people can learn, think and work with technological equipment. After all – from a tacit knowledge view – the outstanding challenge of Knowledge Management is the development of an Indeterminacy Management or rather a Non-Knowledge Management in a learning organization.

Stream: Knowledge and Technology

Paper: Tacit Knowledge and its Implications for Knowledge Management