SECI, Ba and Leadership: a Unified Model of Dynamic Knowledge Creation
Section snippets
What is knowledge?
In our theory of the knowledge-creating process, we adopt the traditional definition of knowledge as ‘justified true belief’. However, our focus is on the ‘justified’ rather than the ‘true’ aspect of belief. In traditional Western epistemology (the theory of knowledge), ‘truthfulness’ is the essential attribute of knowledge. It is the absolute, static and non-human view of knowledge. This view, however, fails to address the relative, dynamic and humanistic dimensions of knowledge.
Knowledge is
The knowledge-creating process
Knowledge creation is a continuous, self-transcending process through which one transcends the boundary of the old self into a new self by acquiring a new context, a new view of the world, and new knowledge. In short, it is a journey “from being to becoming”.12 One also transcends the boundary between self and other, as knowledge is created through the interactions amongst individuals or between individuals and their environment. In knowledge creation, micro and macro interact with each other,
Leading the knowledge-creating process
In the previous section, we presented a model of the organisational knowledge-creating process consisting of three elements: SECI, ba and knowledge assets. Using its existing knowledge assets, an organisation creates new knowledge through the SECI process that takes place in ba. The knowledge created then becomes part of the knowledge assets of the organisation, which become the basis for a new spiral of knowledge creation. We now turn our attention to how such a knowledge-creating process can
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed how organisations manage the dynamic process of knowledge creation, which is characterised by dynamic interactions amongst organisational members, and between organisational members and the environment. We have proposed a new model of the knowledge-creating process to understand the dynamic nature of knowledge creation and to manage such a process effectively. Three elements, the SECI process, ba and knowledge assets, have to interact with each other
Ikujiro Nonaka is Professor and Dean of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Knowledge Science, Japan. Corresponding address: Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Knowledge Science, Tatsunokuchi, Ishikawa 932-1292, Japan.
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Ikujiro Nonaka is Professor and Dean of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Knowledge Science, Japan. Corresponding address: Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Knowledge Science, Tatsunokuchi, Ishikawa 932-1292, Japan.
Ryoko Toyama is Assistant Professor at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Knowledge Science, Japan.
Noboru Konno is President of Column, Inc., Tokyo, Japan.