The role of SHRM in turning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge : a cross-national study of the UK and Malta

Abstract

We propose that strategic human resource management (SHRM) practices nurture a context of knowledge sharing where tacit knowledge can be turned into explicit knowledge and that this type of knowledge sharing promotes innovative behaviours. We draw on the fields of Knowledge Management (KM) and International Human Resource Management (IHRM) to show why organisations need to turn tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge to gain most from their workforce skills and creativity. Findings from a couple of cross national case studies show how SHRM promotes employees to interact and share knowledge so there is a conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. In case study one, the focus is on a UK local authority that implemented a bundle of SHRM practices through a people management programme which resulted in a flattened management structure. In case study two, the focus is on a geriatric hospital in Malta that introduced a management presence to interdisciplinary team working to improve patient care. Qualitative methodology provides us with the research tools to capture how staff interact and produce knowledge. Hence we subscribe to the view that the iterative approach in qualitative analysis can be very powerful for understanding meaning beyond mere association. The analysis also highlights the methodological contribution of qualitative research for enabling inductive enquiry that yields emergent themes – an approach not typically seen in SHRM innovation studies.