Tacit knowledge, what we can do but cannot describe in words, is developed through years of experience. It is present in the human ability of making correct judgements, dealing with unexpected matters, and identifying opportunities. Tacit knowledge underpins effective decision making, high productivity, quality and safety in workplace and is therefore a critical ingredient of competitiveness.
The problem, however, is that tacit knowledge cannot be written down in rules or operational procedures and cannot be simply transferred from one person to another. This in turn severely limited our capacity to exploit it and to make the best possible use of this invaluable resource.
To address this issue over several years the Production Engineering Department of UFMG in Brazil has worked to developed and test a number of methodologies for managing tacit knowledge. The goal is to map, develop, share, retain and make the best use of all the distinct types of tacit knowledge in view of enhancing productivity, quality and safety.
These methodologies have been used operationally since 2014 but they have been rarely discussed outside of Brazil.
Participants to the masterclass will have the chance to learn about this new approach and in particular three specific methodologies: Expertise Mapping, Expertise Development, and Return of Experience (REX).
The interactive masterclass will introduce the concepts behind this suite of tools, discuss their benefits and challenges and present a number of examples of their application in industry including extraction, metal and defence industries.