The buzzwords 'learning, knowledge, and best practice

I expect that you might be interested in sharing your feedback and experiences to help stimulate thought and expand my mind.

It is, of course, not an easier effort to find a widely accepted definition for the buzz words 'learning, knowledge, and best practice,' as their descriptions can be context or subject-oriented. For example, although in a psychological sense, learning is defined as "a process that depends on experience and leads to long-term changes in behavior potential," the meaning of the term is apparently not limited to the working definition that psychologists know it to be.  For development practitioners, learning may instead be understood as a process of acquiring facts, data or information from ongoing development operations, programs, or projects.

Learning helps generate, impart, or preserve knowledge. Like learning, knowledge also has the diversified definition. Thus a single description might not justify its reasoning. However, based on available explanations, one way of defining knowledge could be a collection or storage of facts and information acquired through the process of learning. Knowledge Management experts refer to two types of knowledge: tacit and explicit.

Tacit: Tacit knowledge is found in the minds of human stakeholders. It includes cultural beliefs, values, attitudes, mental models, etc. as well as skills, capabilities, and expertise (Botha et all 2008). Referred to as 'intuitive knowledge' and 'know-how,' it is rooted in context, experience, practice, and values. It may be hard to communicate, as it resides in the mind of practitioners. Additionally, it is the best source of long-term competitive advantage and innovation and is transferred through socialization and monitoring. Learn more here>>>

Explicit: This type of knowledge is formalized and codified, and is sometimes referred to as 'know-what' (Brown & Duguid 1998). It is therefore fairly easy to identify, store, and retrieve (Wellman 2009). It can be accurately described as codified knowledge found in documents and databases. Learn more here>>>

Knowledge can also be raw, tested, or validated. When raw knowledge is tested into practice, this might yield either a positive or negative result. The positive result, development practitioners, usually define as the best practice that can be applied widely. However, a best practice that is usable or workable in one context might not necessarily be a best practice in a different one.

As a knowledge management professional looking to whet my learning appetite in this field, I am reading a few books and articles, including “Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice:” Second Edition, authored by Kimiz Dalkir. Also, expect that you might be interested in sharing your feedback and experiences to help stimulate thought and expand my mind.