Conhecimento tácito em uma rede de pesquisa: o caso RECAM — Rede de Engenharia de Campos Maduros

Abstract

Tacit knowledge represents an important resource for human activities, especially regarding the innovation process. The dynamic and permanent knowledge sharing within companies is fundamental to achieve a long-term competitive advantage. Developed countries have created an institutional construct, called National Innovation System – NIS, aiming to articulated industrial, scientific and governmental sectors to accelerate the innovation process. Among the NIS instruments we have the cooperative research network. These share physical and human resources to accomplish a common goal. With reduced costs and operational flexibility, the networks are being used in this country and abroad. Aiming to analyze the development of tacit knowledge generation and sharing at the Rede de Engenharia de Campos Maduros — RECAM, this study observed that: 1— this network holds the potential to share tacit knowledge due to the existence of perspective, expertise, and knowledge diversity, which endows this network with a richness of particular possibilities and combinations required in innovation processes; 2 — there is an adequate complementary infra-structure — both physical and of human resources — among the authors, for project development. To increase the capacity to acquire new abilities and new knowledge, we recommend: 1 — an intensified personal contact between authors so productivity and trust may grow within the network; 2 — the externalization, encoding, and systematization of experiences, tacit knowledge, action logic — mental models —, and of agreements established between authors; — 3 the creation and improvement of digital interaction instruments aiming to intensify interchange means. We suggest follow-up studies up to the end of the period foreseen in the public notice that created this network. We also highlight the need to permanently improve the ability to learn to learn.