Eliciting and mapping tacit knowledge on teamwork success of Six Sigma teams Tracy X.P. Zou 1 and W.B. Lee 1 1 Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong Correspondence: Tracy X.P. Zou, Rm 6583, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2358 5932; Fax: +852 3521 0546; E-mail: egtracy@ust.hk Received: 3 October 2013 Accepted: 10 July 2014 Abstract This study aims to elicit and map tacit knowledge on teamwork success as a lens to examine variations in team performance. A new approach based on narrative simulations and the traditional similarity ratings were adopted with Six Sigma teams in an international manufacturing company. Convergence in the knowledge maps among team members and that between teams and the management of the company have been examined. Both approaches revealed differences in high performance teams and average teams. The narrative simulations elicited richer knowledge, provided a second layer with contexts to a better understanding of team knowledge, and generated more actionable suggestions for team development. Misconceptions in some Six Sigma teams were also identified, which provide insights for team training and development. The study demonstrates the application of narratives and sense- making theories to the elicitation of team knowledge in rich contexts and multiple layers. Knowledge Management Research & Practice advance online publication, 1 September 2014; doi:10.1057/kmrp.2014.27; corrected online 4 September 2014 Keywords: narrative approaches; sensemaking; teams; storytelling; tacit knowledge Introduction Teamwork is an important knowledge-sharing mechanism and also the building block of organisational learning (Michailova & Sidorova, 2011). The knowledge shared in a team, sometimes referred as a team mental model, is found to be highly influential on team performance (Cannon- Bowers et al, 1993; Hinsz, 1995; Mohammed & Dumville, 2001). Shared knowledge defines what is important and therefore affects the strategies and actions of a team. It allows team members to coordinate their behaviours, especially when circumstances do not permit lengthy communication (Mathieu et al, 2000; Lim & Klein, 2006). The knowledge management community has drawn more attention to the insightfulness, usefulness, and quality of team knowledge (Haas & Hansen, 2005; Capece & Costa, 2009; Ghobadi & D’Ambra, 2012). One purpose of examining team knowledge is to assess understanding and diagnose misunderstanding (Yun et al, 2011). This will be useful for management to estimate a team’s readiness for a new task or its effectiveness in problem solving. For example, Cooke et al (2003) discover gaps between the required knowledge and the actual shared knowledge in pilot teams. These findings determine the teams’ training needs. For teams working on unfamiliar or complex tasks, the team knowledge, in particular, the tacit knowledge could affect team performance. Tacit team knowledge may help explain performance variations from a know- ledge-based view, when other essential conditions such as management Knowledge Management Research & Practice (2014), 1–10 © 2014 Operational Research Society Ltd. All rights reserved 1477-8238/14 www.palgrave-journals.com/kmrp/