A critical discourse on tacit knowledge management and the performative agenda

Abstract

Purpose This paper examines the relationship between the tacit knowledge held by learning and development professionals and performance measurement regimes of post-modern organisations. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on Polanyi’s (1958; 1968) influential ideas about tacit knowledge and Lyotard’s (1984) theory of performativity with regard to criteria such as profit-performance, it assesses the applicability and relevance of tacit, working knowledge in the internet age to the daily working lives of industry training and development personnel. A central question for the study is whether such professionals can still tap into and use their tacit know-how without having it reduced by contemporary performance-oriented regimes of “knowledge”. Findings It is argued that there is a powerful interaction between tacit knowledge and narratively produced performance regimes – which are now supported by digital-age technologies including developments in artificial intelligence (AI). It has also been argued that fostering organisational environments that encourage open communication and allow a role for critique remains vital. Research limitations/implications With systems of knowledge production including AI at the point of potentially overriding human decision-making processes, more research is required into possible implications of uploading workers’ tacit, working knowledge in different contexts and ways to foster open communication and critique in organisations. Originality/value The overt linking of classic theories – Polanyi and Lyotard – and applying these to contemporary (digital-age) training and development contexts is original.