Which statement about explicit and tacit knowledge is true?

Which statement about explicit and tacit knowledge is true?

• A. Explicit knowledge has a stronger impact on competitive advantage than tacit knowledge.
• B. Tacit knowledge can be fully captured in manuals.
• C. Explicit knowledge is more easily codified than tacit knowledge.
• D. Tacit knowledge is easily communicated.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is how knowledge can be captured and shared. Explicit knowledge is knowledge that you can articulate and write down—things like manuals, procedures, formulas, and databases. Tacit knowledge is personal, context-specific know-how that you acquire through experience and social interaction, making it difficult to express in words or in a document. Because explicit knowledge can be documented and transmitted in codified form, it is more easily codified than tacit knowledge. A step-by-step procedure or a checklist can be taught to others with less reliance on the original experiencer. Tacit knowledge, by contrast, relies on hands-on practice, observations, and nuances that are hard to capture in words or standardized formats, so transferring it often requires mentorship, practice, and immersion. That’s why the statement is true: explicit knowledge is more easily codified than tacit knowledge. The other ideas clash with how tacit knowledge operates—it's not something you can fully capture in manuals, it’s not easily communicated through simple documents, and while explicit knowledge can aid competitive advantage, tacit knowledge often provides unique, harder-to-imitate value.

The main idea is how knowledge can be captured and shared. Explicit knowledge is knowledge that you can articulate and write down—things like manuals, procedures, formulas, and databases. Tacit knowledge is personal, context-specific know-how that you acquire through experience and social interaction, making it difficult to express in words or in a document.

Because explicit knowledge can be documented and transmitted in codified form, it is more easily codified than tacit knowledge. A step-by-step procedure or a checklist can be taught to others with less reliance on the original experiencer. Tacit knowledge, by contrast, relies on hands-on practice, observations, and nuances that are hard to capture in words or standardized formats, so transferring it often requires mentorship, practice, and immersion.

That’s why the statement is true: explicit knowledge is more easily codified than tacit knowledge. The other ideas clash with how tacit knowledge operates—it's not something you can fully capture in manuals, it’s not easily communicated through simple documents, and while explicit knowledge can aid competitive advantage, tacit knowledge often provides unique, harder-to-imitate value.