Codification of tacit knowledge for the new learning economy

This paper outlines the concern in the new learning economy for the codification of knowledge, arising from the recognition of the importance of knowledge in future competitive economic activity and the short-lived nature of the knowledge which is involved in innovation. It relates this concern to previous managerialist assumptions about the nature of education and the knowledge evident in such movements as competency-based training. The nature of the sought codification, the kinds of knowledge involved, the challenges of codification, and the feasibility of the new calls for the codification of tacit knowledge are examined. It is concluded that it is doubtful that tacit vocational knowledge can be codified, transmitted and grafted as intended for innovation in rapidly changing workplaces.