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Knowledge Capture and Codifi cation 121

The capture of such knowledge has, in large part, already occurred, which means we
can proceed directly to the codifi cation of this content.

Explicit Knowledge Codifi cation

Knowledge can be shared through the process of personal communication and interac-
tion. We saw this in the fi rst quadrant, socialization, of the Nonaka and Takeuchi KM
model. This occurs naturally all the time. While this process is very effective, it is
rarely very cost-effective. Knowledge codifi cation is the next stage of leveraging knowl-
edge. By converting knowledge into a tangible, explicit form such as a document, that
knowledge can then be communicated much more widely and with less cost. Interac-
tion is limited in scope to those within hearing or able to have face-to-face contact.
Documents can be disseminated widely over a corporate intranet and they persist over
time, which makes them available for reference as and when they are needed, both
by existing and by future staff. They constitute the only “ real ” corporate memory of
the organization.
There are, of course, costs and diffi culties associated with knowledge codifi cation.
The fi rst issue is that of quality, which encompasses:
• Accuracy
• Readability/understandability
• Accessibility
• Currency
• Authority/credibility
The pivotal role of knowledge codifi cation is that it allows the sharing and use of
what is collectively known. Knowledge held by a particular person enables that person
to be more effective. If people interact to share their knowledge within a community
of practice or work team, then that practice becomes more effective. If knowledge is
codifi ed in a material way (i.e., rendered explicit), then it can be shared more widely
both in terms of audience and time duration. In order to understand, maintain, and
improve knowledge as part of corporate memory, knowledge must be codifi ed. The
codifi cation of explicit knowledge can be achieved through a variety of techniques
such as cognitive mapping, decision trees, knowledge taxonomies, and task analysis.

Cognitive Maps
Once expertise, experience, and know-how have been rendered explicit, typically
through some form of interviewing, the resulting content can be represented as a