Browsing by Subject "kollektiivisuus"

The disappearance of tacit knowledge from workplaces is a rising concern in today’s society as skilled employees retire. This is why both Finnish companies and the national economy as a whole have to secure the transferal of this know-how and knowledge to next generations. Several organizations possess the means to preserve this knowledge and share it throughout the company or to particular employees. However, tacit knowledge is a multi-dimensional and challenging phenomenon as it is adhered to the experiences and emotions of an individual. This is one of the reasons why it’s transferal is particularly challenging. The objective of this study is to examine how tacit knowledge is transferred in a Finnish company from one generation to another and what are the main challenges in this transferal. In addition to the fore mentioned objectives, this study aims to explain the form of expertise a company needs, as this is closely related to the transferal process. The data in this study was gathered through theme interviews, by interviewing two pairs. These pairs consisted of elder seniors with approximately 30 years of working experience and juniors, recent university graduates. The method of data analysis used in this study was a text content analysis. The study indicated that tacit knowledge is adhered to the practices learned through work, and that experts perform actions without consciously recognizing them, but rather, intuitively. It was observed that real-life; authentic working scenarios are the best way to transfer tacit knowledge, which is, after all, accumulated through experience. The transferal of tacit knowledge in organizations was executed using interactive methods; mentoring, conversing and observing. Tacit knowledge was transferred both consciously and unconsciously, and the transferal process happened both within the working environment and outside of it. The main obstacles recognized in the transferal process included the following: identifying expertise and it’s value, challenges rising from changes in work such as virtual communication and decentralized teams, and temporal pressures. Therefore, organizations should find out ways that would enable employees to evaluate their know-how and consequently, recognize their own capabilities as experts. The organization culture should also be built with a foundation emphasizing equal valuation of every employee’s expertise. When examining the enhancement of the tacit knowledge transferal process, the attention should be focused on different states of learning and interaction, and the potential possibilities rising from these fore mentioned factors.