Organizational conditions associated with the sharing of tacit and explicit knowledge in the financial sector in Colombia

Knowledge sharing is the social interaction through which individuals exchange their tacit and explicit knowledge with others. Tacit knowledge comes from experience, talent, and reflection and is difficult to formalize, transfer, and communicate to others. Conversely, explicit knowledge is formalized, codified, and easier to transmit. The study focused on four organizational conditions associated with knowledge sharing: culture, training, strategic clarity, and information technology support. Although the relationship between organizational conditions and knowledge sharing has been investigated, few studies have examined whether organizational conditions impact tacit and explicit knowledge sharing. In this research, 270 participants were surveyed, belonging to companies in the financial sector in Colombia. It was found that explicit knowledge had a significant positive relationship with strategic clarity, organizational culture, training, and information technology support. Tacit knowledge correlated significantly only with organizational culture and was unrelated to strategic clarity, training, and information technology support. Based on the results, a model that includes these four organizational conditions is a good predictor of the two types of knowledge sharing: tacit and explicit. Additional research on information technologies that facilitate the sharing of tacit knowledge is recommended. Studies are also suggested on which strategy elements can be considered tacit and the mechanisms to facilitate their successful sharing.