Induction: Mechanistic and Tacit knowledge

The Socially Dynamic organisation has highly connected individuals and teams, aligned to the strategic ambitions of the business, not just aligned to their local team. Typically we see two elements of an induction programme: the Mechanistic and Tacit.

Mechanistic elements are about learning the rules and systems: where things are, who does what, how it all fits together from an organisational structure, what you can do, what you can’t do, and where the toilets are.

Tacit elements are around ‘how it really works’. This is about forming purposeful connections: understanding who knows what, how to get stuff done, where to get support. The tacit elements are about being part of a high functioning community.

Dealing with the mechanistic elements is easy, as they are fact based, rule based, and conventionally ‘teachable’. We can easily teach them and easily assess whether they have been learnt.

The Tacit elements are different: this knowledge is hidden within the community, not codified into a system. To learn the Tacit elements, you need to engage within the global community, not just the local one, and you need to develop the Social Authority to be valued and effective.

The development of Social Capital, integral to unlocking tacit knowledge within an organisation, is often left to chance. But it doesn’t need to be: we can create the circumstances and provide the support for people to thrive in these spaces.

We can help them find a primary alignment with the global community, and become effective and socially connected fast, if we lay the foundations right.

Mechanistic knowledge may be easy, but it’s aligning with and expanding upon the tacit which counts.