Experiential knowledge comes from cases a person has handled themselves. It shows up as criteria, exceptions and warning signs: how to spot an order that will cause trouble, when to deviate from the rule, and whom to call when in doubt. It makes up a large share of tacit knowledge, but the term says more precisely where it comes from.
Experiential vs. explicit knowledge
Explicit knowledge lives in manuals, work instructions and process descriptions. Experiential knowledge adds what those leave out: the reasoning behind a decision and the cases no process anticipates. Unlike pure intuition, it can usually be put into words if you ask about concrete cases instead of general rules.
Two examples
- Manufacturing: A shift supervisor knows a line has to run slower with a certain batch of raw material, even though the spec says otherwise.
- Field service: A service technician can tell from the type of error message whether an on-site visit is needed or remote maintenance will do.
Preserving experiential knowledge
Experiential knowledge leaves with the person, through retirement or resignation. Case-based interviewing is described in How to capture tacit knowledge; related terms: tacit knowledge and knowledge preservation.