The approach used to capture, describe, and subsequently code knowledge depends on the type of knowledge: explicit knowledge is already well described, but we may need to abstract or summarize this content. Tacit knowledge may require much more significant up-front analysis and organization before it can be suitably described and represented.

Knowledge Capture Systems support the process of retrieving either explicit or tacit knowledge that resides within people, artifacts, or organizational entities. These systems can help capture knowledge that resides within or outside organizational boundaries including within consultants, competitors, customers, suppliers, and prior employers of the organization's new employees.

The earliest mechanisms for knowledge capture dates to the anthropological use of stories - the earliest form of art, education and entertainment. Storytelling is the mechanism by which early civilizations passed on their values and their wisdom from one generation to the next.

The importance of using metaphors and stories as a mechanism for capturing and transferring tacit knowledge is increasingly drawing the attention of organizations.

The next video presentation gives an overview of the storytelling.