Tacit knowledge in an age of reform

This article traces the periods of centralized management training in the C yprus civil service, from Independence in 1960 to the mid 1990s. For each p eriod, an original analysis of the purpose for, the approach to and the foc us of the training is given. These three perspectives correspond, respectiv ely, to why training is provided, how it is designed and what it covers. It is then asked whether tacit assumptions about management training accruing from these historical periods might not affect civil servants' current att itudes toward training for reform. To answer this question, a case study is presented of recent department-spe cific management development, against which - in reverse order - each of th e three questions above is examined. Evidence is presented that suggests pa rticipants undergoing the training experienced an interplay in the formatio n of their knowledge between tacit and explicit knowing. This finding is in turn held up against recent research from Japan, where c onversions in knowledge-creating companies were documented between tacit an d explicit abilities. Finally, it is suggested that, by taking account in t he strategic design of management learning for reform of 'crossing' over th ought worlds (converting tacit to explicit knowledge and back again), progr ess can be made in achieving relevant learning and transferable training.