Abstract

COETZEE, J.C.; VAN BEEK, W.S.B.  and  BUYS, A.. A practical knowledge management framework within the pyrometallurgical industry. J. S. Afr. Inst. Min. Metall. [online]. 2012, vol.112, n.7, pp.621-630. ISSN 2411-9717.

In this article, a case is made for the importance of the transfer and management of tacit knowledge to ensure continued sustainable competitive advantage within the pyrometallurgical industry in South Africa. The state of knowledge management (KM) is assessed through a theoretical and empirical study. The empirical part of the study was conducted by means of a survey questionnaire. An important prerequisite within the research entailed determining the current state of KM within the pyrometallurgical industry, and the findings are presented throughout this article. The research argues for initiatives to address the high turnover of pyrometallurgical knowledge workers. This industry needs to entrench tacit knowledge and therefore address the problems associated with the continuous loss of inherent specialized knowledge. Appropriately, emphasis is placed on identifying initiatives required to embed and retain not only human capital lost through mobility, but rather retaining tacit knowledge through a practical KM framework.

Keywords : tacit knowledge; explicit knowledge; knowledge sharing; knowledge management strategies..

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