Tacit Knowledge in Military Leadership: A Review of the Literature.

Abstract : This report reviews the theory of tacit knowledge and its theoretical and empirical background. The authors propose a three category structure for the tacit knowledge in military leadership: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational. That structure was derived from instances of leadership tacit knowledge inferred from a review of military trade journals, military 'lessons learned' publications, and military memoirs. The report presents instances for the three categories. The proposed structure and representing instances are discussed in terms of (1) tacit knowledge in civilian business management; (2) U.S. Army leadership doctrine; (3) applicability across organizational levels of the U.S. Army (battalion, company, and platoon); and (4) the likelihood of further elaboration and replication of the proposed structure with application of other data collection methods. (RWJ) ( SF-298)

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