Tacit Knowledge Sharing for Enhancing the Sustainability of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Crafts: A Perspective from Artisans and Academics under Craft-Design Collaboration

Abstract

The tacit nature of craft forms a barrier to the sustainability of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) crafts in craft-design collaboration that makes facilitating knowledge sharing across domains challenging. Hence, the discussion of tacit knowledge becomes a significant topic in university-based craft-design collaboration. However, there is still a lack of a systematic tacit knowledge-sharing structure for guiding academics and artisans in interacting beyond superficial manifestations in collaboration with the consideration of sustainability. This study aims to seek the relationship between craft-design collaboration, tacit knowledge sharing, and sustainability in the context of ICH crafts in China. By taking a qualitative research approach, grounded in knowledge management, semi-structured interviews were conducted with artisans and academics in China's Belt and Road regions guided by the four defined dimensions of craft-design collaboration. This study investigates tacit knowledge sharing in craft-design collaboration, and its key contribution to sustainability. The study found that university-based collaboration activity can share knowledge sustainably and dynamically through knowledge accumulation, knowledge expression, knowledge diffusion, and knowledge reflection. Additionally, it argues that the integration of craft-design collaboration and knowledge management should be considered an essential future skill to investigate the sustainability impact of ICH crafts.