The role of tacit knowledge and the challenges in transferring it: a case study at the Finnish NPPs

Explicit knowledge and implementation of proper IT systems have been of concern of many organisations which recognise the importance of managing knowledge for safety operation and sustainable competitive advantage. Data and document management systems have been implemented to capture, store and distribute explicit knowledge. However, recently also awareness of the existence of tacit knowledge in organisations has arisen. What kind of role does this undocumented knowledge, which the employees have acquired throughout their careers, play in nuclear power plant context? This paper explores the role of tacit knowledge and the challenges related to its transfer at the two Finnish nuclear power plants.