Tacit knowledge barriers, enablers and adaptation: exploring Australia’s franchise industry

Tacit knowledge is possessed by people and generally acquired through practical experience. Tacit knowledge is valuable and to not be aware of it can limit an organization’s success. However, tacit knowledge is not easily shared because it resides deep within people’s minds. This thesis explores the role of tacit knowledge sharing in Australia’s franchise industry. A range of barriers and enablers to tacit knowledge sharing are identified. This thesis also examines how new knowledge and tacit knowledge influence introducing new processes into a franchise organization, which is typically considered static and similar across different locations.