Bridging Epistemologies
(Cook Brown)

Knowledge Center

What is the Bridging Epistemologies framework?

S.D.N. Cook and J.S. Brown argue that much current work on organizational knowledge, intellectual capital, knowledge-creating organizations, knowledge work and the like is based on a single, traditional understanding of the nature of knowledge. In this "epistemology of possession," knowledge is treated like something which people possess. Yet, this vision can not account for the knowing which is found in individual and group practice.

Knowing as action calls for an "epistemology of practice." Moreover, the epistemology of possession tends to privilege explicit over tacit knowledge. Also it tends to privilege individual knowledge over group knowledge.

Current work on organizations is limited by this privileging, and by the scant attention given to knowing. Organizations are better understood if explicit, tacit, individual and group knowledge are treated as four distinct and coequal forms of knowledge. Each is doing work the others can't. Knowledge and knowing should be seen like mutually enabling; not like competing.

Actions by collectives cannot be reduced to only the actions of individuals within them. Cook and Brown identify 4 types of knowledge: explicit and tacit at the individual and collective levels, and consider how they are bridged by the active process of knowing (OUBS,2001). The process by which different knowledge types are used in practice is described as a "generative dance". According to this metaphor, knowledge creation does not simply rely on an inventory of knowledge elements (possession), but on the ability to use those as tools (action).

Cook and Brown hold that knowledge is a tool of knowing, that knowing is an aspect of our interaction with the social and physical world, and that the interplay of knowledge and knowing can generate new knowledge and new ways of knowing.

Origin of the Bridging Epistemologies model. History

The model from Cook and Brown developed from:

• Polanyi's distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge (1983). Tacit knowledge is what is not easily visible and expressible. Tacit knowledge is personal, context specific and hard to formalize and communicate. Subjective insights, intuitions and hunches fall in this category, which includes cognitive and technical elements. Explicit knowledge can be expressed in words and numbers and can be easily communicated and shared in the form of hard data, scientific formulae, codified procedures and universal principles. (Nonaka and Takeuchi).
• Spender's epistemological pluralism (1998): (1) objective knowledge is only one way of knowing things, and (2) some aspects of explicit and tacit knowledge are only known collectively (see also Blackler, 1995).

It adds a dynamic element of knowledge and opposes the traditional knowledge-as-assets or resource view of knowledge. This model resembles the view of Nonaka and Takeuchi in their SECI model, which sees knowledge creation as a transformation of the various knowledge elements.
 

Usage of the Bridging Epistemologies framework. Applications

The framework Cook and Brown helps to think of knowledge in an organizational context and understanding why and how we know things collectively. Their model strengthens the link between product and process innovation. In their view, forms of knowledge distributed among individuals and groups are not the only essential for product development; ways of "knowing" reflected in the interaction of the workers with each other and their objects of work are also essential (OUBS,2001).

An example of the Bridging Epistemologies model

The model is illustrated using the simple example of a bakery: Relevant tools are:

• Knowledge as concepts. Theory known by individuals, like which flour to use, how much salt to use etc.
• Skills. The ability to make bread
• Stories. How things were built up
• Genre. The context of the bakery

An apprentice can learn or be part of all these elements, he or she will need experience in order to make bread: knowledge as action.

Assumptions of the Bridging Epistemologies model. Conditions

• Knowledge can not be transformed from its various forms (individual/tacit etc.), but exist in distinct forms.

Article: Cook and Brown - Bridging Epistemologies.

Forum Forum discussions about Bridging Epistemologies. How to Communicate Importance of Knowledge Sharing / Bridging Epistemologies to Superiors? This information is very insightful and important and should be used in everyday life and in organizations. We all should find a way of communicating this to our superiors without being insubordinate.... 17   3 comments 🔥 Tacit Knowledge and Experience Transfer A large part of a person´s unique expertise is by nature, tacit. Tacit knowledge is also known as personal knowledge, which gradually has become a part of the skilled worker. These qualities are rarel... 3   Start a new topic about Bridging Epistemologies Sign up for free

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Expert Tips Advanced insights about Bridging Epistemologies. Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips Barriers that Hinder Effective Knowledge Sharing Effective Knowledge Sharing, Pitfalls to Avoid, Knowledge Management Implementation According to Chris Collison, there are seven common barriers or syndromes that hinder effective knowledge sharing and se... Positive Effects of Age Diversity on Company Productivity and (Tacit) Knowledge Sharing Tacit Knowledge Transfer, Workforce Productivity, Incentive Management Backes-Gellner and Veen (2013) outlined the main advantages of having a diverse workforce within a company. The followin... How to Identify and Map Knowledge Knowledge Identification, Knowledge Capturing, Knowledge Storage In his article “Knowledge Mapping: The Essentials for Success”, Wesley Vestal provides following six tips to identify an... Critical Activities to Build a Learning Organization Implementing Organizational Learning, Best Practices Learning organizations are distinguished because they are undertaking certain activities to foster the internal learning... Capturing Learned Lessons How to Capture Organizational Learning? Best Practices Knowledge from bad and good experiences will lead you and your organization to better future performance. You can improv... How Culture Levels Explain Failures in Organizational Learning and Innovation Improving Organizational Learning, Organizational Innovation, Changing Organization Cultures Schein (as cited by Bertagni et al., 2010) tries to elaborate on the question why organizational innovations often fail ... Knowledge Management Scope Knowledge Management, Level of Know-how Research by Deishin Lee (HBS) and Eric Van den Steen (MIT) shows that recording mediocre know-how can actually be counte... Components of Learning Agility Organizational Agility, Organizational Learning, Knowledge Management One of the critical factors for achieving organizational agility is learning agility, which refers to the ability and ea... Knowledge Management Focal Point Knowledge Management Focus Research by Deishin Lee (HBS) and Eric Van den Steen (MIT) shows that information about successes is typically more usef...

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