Doing without knowing: an exploration of knowledge management in think tanks

The management of knowledge in think tanks (an under-represented research context) implies participants’ awareness of knowledge management tools and techniques. To date, research on knowledge management presumes that organisations are fully aware of formal knowledge management practices. The research examines the process of knowledge management within Pakistani think tanks to explore if both tacit (informal) and explicit (formalised) knowledge management practices exist, and whether they are independent of the knowledge workers’ awareness of these practices. Data was collected through interviews, observations, and extensive document collection and then analysed using a knowledge-based view. The results show that Pakistani think tanks are managing both tacit and explicit knowledge independently of an awareness of the existence of the tools and techniques that are available to do so. This paper contributes to existing knowledge management literature by providing a framework for knowledge management independence and explaining the phenomenon. The paper provides practical and social implications that relate to think tanks and similar institutional contexts.