One distinguishes between explicit and implicit knowledge1 Ahlert, Martin; Blaich, Günther; Spelsiek, Jan (2006): Vernetztes Wissen.Organisationale, motivationale, kognitive und technologische Aspekte desWissensmanagements in Unternehmensnetzwerken. Wiesbaden 2006. . Implicit knowledge consists of informal and difficult-to-document skills, abilities, mental models, beliefs, perceptions, etc. 2 Rehäuser, Jakob; Krcmar, Helmut (1996): Wissensmanagement in Unternehmen.Stuttgart: Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, Univ. Hohenheim (Arbeitspapiere /Universität Hohenheim, Lehrstuhl für Wirtschaftsinformatik, 98). Hohenheim 1996. . It creates an individual connection of the concepts to a global context3 Polanyi, Michael (1983): The tacit dimension. Reprinted. Gloucester 1983 and is such that systematic processing is difficult to implement. In contrast to implicit knowledge, explicit knowledge can be stored, transmitted, and processed in the media. The determining factor "explicitness" refers to the extent to which a knowledge domain (e.g., a project) can be formalized and transferred between subjects4 Cresse, C.(2010): Wissensmanagement Im Technologietransfer. Einfluss DerWissensmerkmale in F&E-Kooperationen. Wiesbaden 2010. .

With regard to accessibility, a distinction is also made between individual and organizational knowledge, whereby organizational knowledge refers to the knowledge base that is in principle accessible to the organization. Furthermore, a distinction is made between declarative and procedural knowledge5 Beckenbach, Frank (2005): Knowledge representation and search processes: acontribution to the microeconomics of invention and innovation. Kassel 2005. . Declarative knowledge consists of alternatives, attributes, and connections. Procedural knowledge includes operators and heuristics.