SECI model
Contents
Definition
SECI model is A model of knowledge conversion
Summary
Description
Modes of knowledge conversion
A famous early attempt at describing knowledge sharing and its implications for knowledge generation, the SECI-model [1][2] depicted in fig.1, has found wide diffusion and is still helpful in defining the different modes of knowledge transfer. In this model, four modes of knowledge transfer are identified:
- Tacit to tacit (Socialization): Knowledge is acquired by social interaction and is available as implicit knowledge
- Tacit to Explicit (Externalization): Implicit knowledge is captured, codified and thus transferred to explicit knowledge
- Explicit to Explicit (Combination): The newly acquired codified knowledge is combined with already available explicit knowledge
- Explicit to Tacit (Internalization): New knowledge is learned (internalized) and available as tacit knowledge, and may be transferred by socialization
Explicit and tacit knowledge thereby interact with each other in a continuous process. Knowledge, which is held by individuals as tacit knowledge, is shared with other individuals, groups or organizations, and interconnects to generate new knowledge. This process may be viewed as a "spiral" or an "amount" of knowledge, which grows as the four stages are repeatedly run through.
References
[1] NONAKA, I., TAKEUCHI, H. (1995) The knowledge-creating company. How Japanese companies create the dynamics of innovation, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
[2] NONAKA, I. (2009). "Tacit Knowledge and Knowledge Conversion: Controversy and Advancement in Organizational Knowledge Creation Theory". Organization Science 20 (3): 635–652.
