Tacit Knowledge: Nature and Transfer in Safety-Critical Systems, Application on Maritime Pilot Training

Licentiate thesis, 2024

The accumulation of knowledge, intuitive understanding, expertise, and skills for managing both routine and non-routine situations develops over extended periods of time. These insights, often unspoken, deeply personal, and grounded in experience, are difficult to formalize and communicate and are commonly referred to as tacit knowledge. The departure of experienced individuals from an organization can result in significant declines in productivity, efficiency, and safety due to the loss of specialized knowledge and skills, including tacit knowledge. In safety-critical systems, the erosion of such knowledge can have severe consequences, particularly in the event of malfunctions or system failures. Therefore, the transfer of tacit knowledge is crucial in educational settings, where novices develop the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure compliance with industry standards for efficiency and safety. This licentiate thesis aimed to evaluate the nature and transfer of tacit knowledge in safety-critical systems, with a specific focus on maritime pilot training within the context of maritime simulators. Additionally, it evaluated the use of eye-tracking as a didactic tool and its role in managing tacit
knowledge within such training environments. Moreover, the licentiate thesis explored the nature of tacit knowledge, developed a taxonomy related to associated concepts, defined tacit knowledge as a framework and compared it to maritime pilot training, and proposed guidelines to enhance its transfer
in such training settings. An exploratory mixed-methods design was employed, incorporating a systematic literature review conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines, evaluating 22 studies on tacit knowledge transfer in safety-critical systems. In addition, a study grounded in activity theory investigated tacit knowledge transfer in maritime pilot training, involving 21 participants. A usability study further examined the application of eye-tracking as a didactic tool in simulator-based maritime pilot training, with tacit knowledge evaluations conducted on 57 participants. Data were collected through interviews, observations, questionnaires, document analysis, eye-tracking, and comparative explanatory compilations. The data analysis utilized descriptive statistical methods, inductive thematic analysis, activity theory, the SECI model, and contextual frameworks. The findings revealed that tacit knowledge resided in various domains and faculties, making it difficult to define and operationalize. Tacit knowledge was therefore reconceptualized as a framework encompassing several interrelated components. When this framework was applied to maritime pilot training, tacit knowledge transfer was observed only partially, in social learning environments such as apprenticeships during actual pilotage, but was less evident in other areas of training, particularly in simulator sessions. In these contexts, concepts such as intuition, procedural knowledge, pattern recognition, and muscle memory were often used interchangeably but were later identified as related yet distinct. Guidelines for more effective tacit knowledge transfer included alumni functions, job rotation, mentorship programs, staff rotation, and the development of repositories to capture best practices and operational experiences. Furthermore, guidelines for conducting efficient research into tacit knowledge transfer could serve as a foundation for enhancing the training syllabus.
In conclusion, this licentiate thesis presents a comprehensive and systematic mapping and deconstruction of tacit knowledge, along with a taxonomy on the subject. This work culminates in the development of a framework to conceptualize and define tacit knowledge applicable to research on organizational learning, particularly in maritime pilot training. Furthermore, this licentiate thesis offers guidelines aimed at enhancing maritime pilot training in both organizational and research contexts.