Local knowledge creation: tacit knowledge and local knowledge transfer

Knowledge appears as resource more and more often in current conceptions of regional development. Formation of the knowledge based society and economy has greatly contributed to the economic revision of the concept and characteristics of knowledge. Knowledge plays a more and more important role in the investigations of regional science: regional inequalities are explained with different knowledge stock and with the related social resources. For the regional economic development the economic and local characteristics of knowledge creation and -transfer have essential importance, they need to be taken into consideration while planning development programs, and especially when working out innovation strategies. The scientific literature of knowledge deals emphatically with the local factors of knowledge creation and knowledge transfer that are related to the concept of tacit knowledge. The study surveys models based on tacit knowledge from the international literature of organizational knowledge creation, and enlarges upon the models' interpretability. The so called knowledge spiral (SECI) model of local knowledge creation and -transfer is extended with the adaptation of the latest results of organizational models. The applicability of the principles of knowledge creation is highlighted with the help of a practical example from Finland (Tampere).