From the Introduction of the book Dialogue, skill and tacit knowledge:
"In this book we explore the significance of tacit knowledge, and consider accounts of how access has been gained, through analogical thinking. Principal among these is the ‘Dialogue Seminar Method’, which has been developed and applied by the first two editors. Case study accounts are provided, together with guidance for those wishing to use it. After so many years of collaborative endeavour, there is now a body of experience, and many documented cases of organisations whose cultures have been transformed by the ‘Dialogue Seminar Method’."
From the article "Some Aspects of Military Practices and Officers’ Professional Skills":
"What is distinctive is primarily the emphasis on how one learns in the military profession by involving oneself in a large number of situations where one’s knowledge and experiences are heavily taxed. The next step in knowledge development primarily occurs when one together with others in various contexts is given the opportunity to reflect upon one’s experiences. Development of both military practice and the knowledge that the individual officer possesses also have a close relation to understanding of how language functions between people. Language must thereby attain a meaning beyond what is implicitly expressed in many of the sets of rules and regulations used in military practices. It concerns both a knowledge-related shift as well as a mental shift of sorts from reliance on concept definitions and rules, towards a contextual understanding of how the language functions in varying contexts. The proficient officer has both learned to see differences between various practices and situations, and at the same time, must be open to seeing likenesses and analogies between widely varying knowledge areas and cultures. Let us now conclude the article with a brief quote from the Swedish Armed Forces’ ‘Militärstrategisk doktrin’ (2002) that demonstrates the need for a qualified dialogue and reflection on the experience-based knowledge that exists in various areas:
Culture is based on individuals not learning everything from their own experiences. Similarly, professional skills within the armed forces are based to a high degree on utilising the knowledge and experience of others, and on drawing relevant conclusions for the future."
Download the article here. Published in the book Dialogue, skill and tacit knowledge / edited by Bo Göranzon, Maria Hammarén, and Richard Ennals (John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2006)
Peter Tillberg är kapten och har tidigare arbetat i Försvarsmakten med soldat och officersutbildning. Peter är forskare och har under mer än 20 år arbetat som projektledare i Försvarsmakten och Försvarshögskolan med frågor som berör ledarskap, organisation teknologi och militärt yrkeskunnande i skarpa situationer. Han har bland annat publicerat Dialoger om yrkeskunnande och teknologi (2002), Spelplats – Yrkeskunnandets Praktik och IT (2002), "Some Aspects of Military Practices and Officers Professional Skills" (2006), Mission Abroad – Military experience from international operations (2008), Uppdrag Chef – Åtta militära chefers erfarenheter från internationella operationer (2011), Uppdrag Afghanistan – Bilder och berättelser från en internationell insats (2017) och Uppdrag Veteran - Om svenska militära utlandsveteraner (2020). Peter är executive editor på den vetenskapliga tidskriften Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies (SJMS). Peter doktorerar på institutionen för industriell ekonomi och organisation vid Kungliga Tekniska högskolan. Han är föreståndare och projektledare vid Centrum för studier av militär och samhälle (CSMS).
Peter Tillberg
Director at The Swedish Centre for Studies of Armed Forces and Society, SE
