Brainstorming: How To Manage Colletive Tacit and Explicit Knowledge

Managing Tacit and Explicit Knowledge

During the new idea generation – divergent or lateral thinking – phase, people create a wealth of possible solutions to a problem. In a well-managed development process, where a group of diverse individuals addresses a common challenge, varying perspectives foster creative abrasion, intellectual conflict between diverse viewpoints producing energy that is channeled into new ideas.¹

Brainstorming gathers together a set of experts with diverse skills, preferably including client representatives. Main rules to be followed during the idea generation phase:

defer judgments;

build on the ideas of others;

one conversation at one time;

stay focused on the topic;

and think outside the box – encourage wild ideas.

All ideas should be recorded and discussed during the selection – convergent thinking – phase.

As soon as a sufficient choice of innovative ideas has been generated, a solution – convergence upon acceptable action – needs to be defined and agreed upon. In particular, three types of tacit knowledge – overlapping specific, collective, and guiding – need to be managed.