Fostering innovation by unlearning tacit knowledge

Purpose The aim of this paper is to investigate the problems of managing tacit knowledge and the importance of unlearning it. As the main problem of managing tacit knowledge lies in the fact that it escapes observation and measurement, an adequate framework that would make some dimensions of tacit knowledge visible has to be developed. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of literature surveys the authors discuss several types of knowledge and issues related to sharing, learning and, most importantly, unlearning obsolete tacit knowledge dimensions. Findings To overcome the perpetual elusiveness of tacit knowledge is presented a framework that could help highlight dimensions of tacit knowledge that can be mobilized and observed through the manifestation of different behaviour. It is partly possible to make explicit some dimensions of tacit knowledge that not only contribute to successful sharing and mutual learning, but also enable the identification of those parts of knowledge that hinder innovation and should be unlearned. The better one's understanding of the process of creating and using new knowledge and discarding obsolete knowledge, the more likely it is that organizations will foster innovative behaviour in organizations. Originality/value Introduced insight is important in understanding the importance of the distinctive requirements of knowledge management related to managing tacit dimensions. In the turbulent and ever‐changing business environment, tacit knowledge dimensions grow obsolete very rapidly and hinder innovation processes, so ways of un‐learning this obsolete knowledge have to be found.