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Knowledge Capture and Codifi cation 99

Information sources
Known Unknown

Know that Know that
Known
we know we don’t know
User
awareness

Don’t know Don’t know that
Unknown
that we know we don’t know

Figure 4.2
The known-unknown matrix ( Frappaolo 2006 )

Capturing the knowledge in an organization is not purely about technology.
Indeed, many fi rms fi nd that information technology (IT) plays only a small part in
ensuring that information is available to those who need it. The approach needed
depends on the kind of business, its culture, and the ways in which people solve
problems. Some organizations generally deliver standard products and services, while
others are constantly looking for new ways of doing things. Knowledge capture can
therefore span a whole host of activities, from organizing customer information
details into a single database to setting up a mentoring program. We need to capture
both types of knowledge — explicit and tacit. Knowledge about standardized work, for
example, can be described explicitly and is easily captured in writing. On the other
hand, where there is innovation and creativity, people will also need some direct
contact ( Moorman and Miner 1997 ). Knowledge capture cannot, therefore, be a
purely mechanistic “ add-on, ” because it has to do with the discovery, organization,
and integration of knowledge into the fabric of the organization. Knowledge has to
be captured and codifi ed in such a way that it can become a part of the existing
knowledge base of the organization. Every organization has a history, which provides
a backdrop to the growth and evolution of the organization. Every organization has
a memory. The embodiment of the organizational memory is the experience of its
employees combined with the tangible data and knowledge stores in the organization
( Walsh and Ungson 1991 ). Bush (1945) envisioned “ instruments . . . which, if prop-
erly developed, will give man access to and command over the inherited knowledge