Meta-abilities: The key to the strategic tacit knowledge diffusion and organisational learning

The diffusion of tacit knowledge is pervasive in the organisational learning (OL) process. To undertake this, a conceptual framework based on meta-abilities is proposed. The framework suggests that meta-abilities create individual influencing skills, sharing attitudes and asking habits. These three elements externalise tacit knowledge through the medium of ideas, actions, reactions and reflection. Knowledge stewards' document externalised tacit knowledge thereby making it measurable, tangible and available to systems analysts for future information systems development. The framework is tested using a case study in Malaysia. It is concluded that the future focus when managing information for OL should be toward an individual's meta-abilities development and creating the correct organisational culture and infrastructure that promotes knowledge sharing.