What is the SECI model?

The SECI model is a framework that explains how explicit and tacit knowledge is converted into organizational knowledge.

Understanding the SECI model

Knowledge is often the key source of competitive advantage in many industries. It creates value for the organization by enabling it to innovate, learn and unlearn, and transfer best practices across boundaries.

With the advent of the information age and knowledge societies, there has been much research into the processes that enable organizations to capture, integrate, share, use, and maintain knowledge to improve performance.

Several management processes have also been put forth to ensure knowledge is made available to all employees irrespective of rank or seniority level.

One of the most popular frameworks in use today is the SECI model. The model considers knowledge creation to be a dynamic process where the interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge creates new knowledge that spreads across three ontological levels: individual, organizational, and inter-organizational. 

Tacit and explicit knowledge in the SECI model

Before we move on to explain the model further, it may first be helpful to explain the difference between tacit and explicit knowledge:

Tacit knowledge – this encapsulates the knowledge, skills, and abilities an individual accrues from personal and professional life experiences. It is a more intuitive form of knowledge that is rooted in context, values, and practice and is harder to communicate with others since it resides in the mind. Transferral of tacit knowledge occurs via training, mentoring, and support.Explicit knowledge – compared to tacit knowledge, explicit knowledge is easily documented and communicated between people. In an organizational context, it may take the form of a standard operating procedure, brand style guide, or content library, for example. Explicit knowledge is information found in documents, books, and databases and can easily be accessed, stored, and verbalized by others.The interaction between tacit and explicit knowledge

According to SECI model creator Ikujiro Nonaka, there are four modes of knowledge conversion which explain how tacit and explicit knowledge interact:

Socialization (tacit to tacit) – a process of knowledge sharing characterized by observation, imitation, practice, and guidance. Socialization is direct and occurs via the shared experiences of one person who has the knowledge and one person who does not. Within a company, socialization can occur when employees interact with customers or in a team brainstorming session.Externalisation (tacit to explicit) – a more difficult process where tacit knowledge is codified into documents, manuals, or processes that enable the information to be learned by others and shared across the organization. Once crystallized, it becomes the basis of new knowledge. Combination (explicit to explicit) – Nonaka described this process as one where “explicit knowledge is collected from inside or outside the organization and then combined, edited, or processed to form more complex and system explicit knowledge.” The building of a prototype is a classic example of the combination process.Internalization (explicit to tacit) – where knowledge created in the previous process is converted into tacit knowledge by employees. This knowledge is then used in practical contexts and forms the basis of new routines. Internalization is also characterized by personal and collective reflection, pattern recognition, and the ability to understand various fields, concepts, and ideas.Key takeaways:The SECI model is a framework that explains how explicit and tacit knowledge is converted into organizational knowledge.In more recent years, there has been increased interest in processes that help organizations capture, integrate, share, use, and maintain knowledge to improve performance.SECI model creator Ikujiro Nonaka developed four knowledge dimensions that explain how tacit and explicit knowledge interact: socialization, externalization, combination, and internalization.

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