Researching Tacit Activities: Methodology Suggested by the Literature

Véronique Ambrosini

Chapter 5 in Tacit and Ambiguous Resources as Sources of Competitive Advantage, 2003, pp 39-45 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Before turning to the key questions of the research project I would like to point out that writers on the resource-based view of the firm tend to take a one-sided view of tacit knowledge: they mainly concentrate on its positive aspects (Leonard-Barton, 1992, is a notable exception) and assume that tacit knowledge is valuable and a source of competitive advantage. However tacit knowledge can also be source of dysfunction- ality - it can become a ‘competency trap’ (Levitt and March, 1988), which can lead to ‘core rigidities’ (Leonard-Barton, 1992). Embedded routines that have worked in the past can eventually lead to dysfunc- tionality. They may block adaptation to changes in the environment, hinder innovation and lead to the continuation of inferior work practices.

Keywords: Competitive Advantage; Tacit Knowledge; Organisational Member; Organisational Knowledge; Case Study Approach (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2003
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-4039-4808-3_5

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DOI: 10.1057/9781403948083_5

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