The tacit corporate knowledge

resulting in limited innovation and unconventional problem solving. Facebook, on the other hand, prizes a culture of resourceful ingenuity, often referred to as a „hacking culture,“ which sets it apart. This exceptional attribute fosters creativity and outside-the-box thinking in order to arrive at effective solutions.

At Facebook, the concept of „hacking“ involves enabling individuals to tackle problems, whereas other firms emphasize executing set solutions. The process of tapping into tacit expertise for business benefit can be relatively straightforward. However, transforming a company‘s culture is no easy feat. Nonetheless, setting up small avenues for creative input can prove helpful, and there‘s no need to fully adopt Facebook‘s „hacking culture“.

The impact of heavily entrenched hierarchical thinking on German companies is staggering. This tacit knowledge, however, plays a vital role in shaping their corporate identity. A company‘s identity comprises not just its principles and values, but also the entirety of its institutional knowledge. Achieving balance between past and future, with employees‘ implicit knowledge playing a crucial role, is crucial for any company‘s corporate identity, particularly in the digital age. Too often this goes overlooked.

Today, many only elicit a weary smile when people talk about the ‚tradition‘ of a company, believing these days that all you have to do to stay in the game is head for tomorrow.

If you‘re leading an established company, attempting to build an identity without considering your roots will result in failure. In order to succeed, you must understand where you come from, as this knowledge will guide you into the future. Consider the historical Zollverein coal mine, a museum and event venue in Essen that was a crucial part of the Pott region‘s industry for over a century. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is valued precisely because of its rich history and deep roots.

What impact would this have on the city‘s character? It would mean a definitive shift, without erasing the site‘s history. Although the coal mine is no longer operational, its legacy is omnipresent. This is a valuable lesson for businesses too. Preserving identity while modernizing is essential.

As the Dalai Lama famously stated, „Embrace change, but don‘t lose sight of your values.“