Explicit Knowledge
Knowledge that is codified, transmittable in formal systematic language, and can be expressed in words, numbers, or formulas.
Explicit knowledge is “digital”: it is captured in records of the past such as libraries, archives, and databases and is assessed on a sequential basis. It can be processed, transmitted, and stored relatively easily.
Examples include:
- Product specifications
- Scientific formulas
- Computer programs
- Documented procedures
- Written policies
What makes knowledge explicit is not its content but its form (that it has been articulated in a way that allows transmission without requiring shared experience between sender and receiver.
The limitation: explicit knowledge represents only “the tip of the iceberg” of possible knowledge. Much of what people know cannot be expressed in formal language.
Related: 06-atom—tacit-knowledge-definition, 06-molecule—seci-framework, 06-atom—combination-mode