Making implicit knowledge about research more visible

The key concept for this project is “tacit” or “implicit” knowledge: the intangible, informal and often unarticulated knowledge acquired through experience and practice, and embedded in practices, norms, and values of a group or organisation. This is a topic about which there has been extensive research in different organisational and learning contexts, and from different disciplinary perspectives. Building on this research, we sought to develop insights through discussions with key colleagues and groups, along with collecting more formal data through story-elicitation surveys (11 participants) and focus groups (8 participants). Our aim was to produce resources that could help research and research-enabling colleagues foster positive research cultures in CAHSS by making implicit knowledge, and the challenges and issues around it, more visible and open to discussion. 

There are three project outputs:
1) A report (available to University of Edinburgh staff – LINK – or on request to the project lead), giving an overview of key concepts and ideas about implicit knowledge from the literature and explores insights from our research in CAHSS, including key themes from the data and strategies used by participants to address implicit knowledge. It closes with analysis of implications for research cultures and recommendations for the College.

2) A conversation guide, designed for those who are seeking and holding implicit knowledge – aiming to help people to elicit and share knowledge. A short and longer version of the guide are available here:

LINK (with image)

LINK (with image)

3) Stories of implicit knowledge, told by participants in the project – aiming to enrich the picture of what implicit knowledge can look and feel like to researchers and research-enabling staff. These stories are available on the internal sharepoint, or on request to the project lead.

Related links