ABSTRACT
Why did we begin a discussion of the relevance of tacit knowing with a review of theories of competition? We could have begun directly by investigating the different kinds of tacit knowing found in different contexts and worked towards a taxonomy and a mapping of the components of the tacit component in time and on different levels of time and sectoral or cultural space. Instead we are attempting to identify particularly interesting problems around which to organise our investigations. As Nelson and Winter (1982, p. 134) state:
Theorists should aim to tell the truth in their theorizing, but they cannot aim to tell the whole truth. For to theorize is precisely to focus on those entities and relationships in reality that are believed to be central to the phenomena observed – and largely to ignore the rest. To advance a new theory is to propose a shift of focus, to recognize as central considerations that were previously ignored.
