There are many different knowledge management practices that organizations can use. There is growing amounth evidence of KM´s contribution to organizational performance, but still room to study more about KM.  For example some performance that has been interperate and measured very differently in existing studies such as innovativeness, product and employee improvment, product leadership, customer intimacy and operational excellence, competitive position and financial outcomes. Many studies focuse on knowledge processes rather then KM practices. Heisig´s categorization is based on 160 KM research models and represented the main themes. 

Firm´s knowledge resources can enchance innovation, improve efficieny, and positively impact financial- and market-based performance indicators. It is said that there is link between knowledge resources and firm-level performance outcomes. 

Heisig´s KM categorization (4 blocks) 

Human-oriented knowledge  

• Knowledge-based human resource management practices HRM – influence the company´s bottom line directly, for example activating knowledge processes and creating capabilities within the organization, by strengthen employees´affective commitment, by building impersonal trust to add value to relationships and by increasing the utilization of IT support for KM. HRM practices increase knowledge processess, suvh as acquisition, sharing and creation and this way to innovations. Innovations on many levels administrative and technical, product and service, technology knowledge and product and process. HRMpracticescan positively influence on the affective commitment of employees and impersonal trust 

• Knowledge management leadership. A transformational mode of leadership including idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, inspirational motivation and individualized consideration, increase performance compared to competitors improved knowledge acquisition and financial performance through learning and innovation. Participating leadership mode and initiation of goal structure were noted to be favorable features for supervisory work, as they increased knowledge application and learning as well as speed to market and innovation. Management´s involvement is communities of practice was noticed to increase knowledge expansion and increment innovations, and steering the firm towards its innovation goals. Senior management commitment was not seen as important. Some studies say that successful KM leadership requires, special KM unit or KM roles and KM strategy as supportive factors. Well functioning technological support, a relevant reward system, training regime and KM Strategy. 

Technology-oriented 

• IT seen as resource, something that a firm owns or possesses. IT supports in collabration, communication, information search, real-time learning, simulation and prediction. Utilization of IT support for KM steering firms succcess, increase in market share, improwed growth rate and better profitability and innovativeness. 

Organizational-oriented 

• Special unit in charge of KM. It is found that decentralization of power was an insignificant factor overorganizational performance 

Manager processed-oriented 

• Human oriented KM strategy was linked with highly rated hotels with traits such as the perceived importance of tactic knowledge and efficient sharing of it, encouragement for individual level creativity and innovativeness, development of human capital and knowledge acquisition through human channels. Open knowledge sharing.  

Tactic knowledge in organizations 

Tactic knowledge is hard verbalize, articulate, described,communicated or convey. Value generated from tactic knowledge has the potential to provide unique and sustained advantage (Ambrosini, 2003; Barney, 1991; Berman, Down and Hill, 2002; Crook, Ketchen, Combs, & Todd, 2008). It is something that is harder for competitors to imitate, but also difficult for firms to expand and fully exploit its potential. Tactic knowledge can pass more easily when dealing with in person vs remotely. 

Micheal Polyain was first to introduce the concept of tactic knowledge. Tactic knowledge can be seen as a compination of conscious and unconscious propositions.  It is employees combination of theoretical and formal knowledge and experience, intuition, and spontaneous information. This way employees have possibility to know and act within the rules of the organization, and cope with changing conditions flexibly.  

Knowledge sharing at my work place 

In our organization we have quality manual, it is often used as tool for introducing our company and working methods fo new office employees. In thid manual there is our company´s vision, goals, examples of making offers, contracts, contact information for IT services etc. This is great tool but not answering to all questions. 

In personnel service industry I think we could got towards similar “Heureka”-style KM practices as Xerox had done in past. This could be done in just our organization or possible on some level with rival companies too. At Xerox their manual for their technicians wasn´t enough. It was discovered that conversation between different technicians in groups could solve obstacles that manual couldn´t. 

Teamwork and manager-employee knowledge sharing 

In our office there is just three of us and we work very tightly together. We have greated our own tip list or it can be compared to be extension to our organizational manual. Tactic knowledge is valuable for us too and shared even when we don´t even recordnize this happening. We have multible KM practices in use, information flow is open and no one is scared to bring matters for joint coversations. 

When it comes to organizational level and KM, there is lot to improve. We are not keeping contact between each office around Finland enough. I think regular Teams meetings could be first step towards this. F2F meetings are not possible at the moment. It is likely that if we kept more contact there would be real benefits for the company. Sometimes it can feel that we are not working for same goals, due partly to fact that we are been compared to each other (between different offices). 

References

• Dixon, Nancy 2012. Sharing Tacit Knowledge – Nancy Dixon tells the story about Xerox Copy Repair Technicians. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA8loDhPRJI  
• Dixon, Nancy 2015. Why different organizations do KM differently. YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PEUI5-khjU. Viitattu 9.5.2023. 
• Stenius, Minna 2016. Why share? Motivation predictors of individual knowledge sharing in expert work. Verkkojulkaisu. https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/169204/WHYSHARE.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Viitattu 3.12.2022. 
• Von Krogh, Georg, Ichijo, Kazuo & Nonaka, Ikijiro 2000. Enabling knowledge creation: how to unlock the mystery of tacit knowledge and release the power of innovation. Viitattu 28.11.2022. 
• Andreeva,Tatiana, Kianto Aino, 2012. Does knowledge management really matter? Linking knowledge management practices, competitiveness and economic performance. Journal knowledge management VOL 16 NO.4 2012.
• Inkinen, Henri, 2016. Review of empirical research on knowledge management practices and firm performance. Journal of knowledge management VOL 20 NO.2 2016.
• Eckhard, Rory, 2014. Tacit Knowledge Transfer and Firm Growth: An Experience-Based Approach ,  University of Massachusetts Amherts, 2014 https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1197&context=dissertations_2