All organizations learn and possess knowledge. This knowledge is dispersed in a relationship between people and information resources and is usually an organization's greatest asset. Organizational knowledge sharing practices account for all formal and informal activities through which knowledge is created and shared within an organization.

Knowledge sharing is a stage in the knowledge management cycle. In its simplest form knowledge management is an organizations ability to identify, acquire, create, organize, share and use knowledge to create value within the organization.
Knowledge sharing is about creating an organizational culture when people are the driving force. An information can be captured , codified and shared such that the right knowledge can be retrieved and applied by the right person at the right time.

Organizational knowledge is becoming an increasingly valuable asset in today's hyper-competitive market. It can be a source of strategic advantage through the ability to create, share and disseminate knew knowledge in the innovative products and technologies. Knowledge is unique and its value growth as it is shared. It can be given away time after time but is never lost by its original owner.

Organizational knowledge can be distinguished from knowledge in an educational setting at it as action-oriented, contextual and collective by nature. It is unique to each organization and difficult to replicate as no companies have followed the same path and history of learning experiences.

Knowledge can be categorized into two types: tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge.

• Tacit knowledge is dynamic. It is knowledge that is embedded in the experiences and expertise of individuals as well as the beliefs values and culture of the respective organization.
• Explicit knowledge is qualified in organization's resources such as documents, policies, artefacts and procedures. It is tangible and can be identified and measure more easily that tacit knowledge.

Although tacit knowledge is more difficult to capture, it is more valuable than explicit knowledge, as it contributes more heavily towards the intellectual capital. Tacit knowledge also requires trust and relationships in order to be shared effectively. An effective knowledge sharing strategy relies heavily on social components such as organizational culture and internal networks.

Technology also plays important part of the process and for this reason selecting and implementing tools of technology to improve the flow of knowledge should be carefully considered. There are several technologies and organization might choose to use to support knowledge sharing. These range from basic tools such as email databases, intranet and knowledge repositories to more complex tools such as knowledge management systems and workflow technologies.

Selected technologies should be accessible and be easily integrated into workflows or remaining flexible enough to foster interaction between sources of knowledge. Adequate training incentive plans and supports from management are also required to ensure knowledge sharing applications are implemented smoothly.

A strong internal networking ensures that employees are aware of who hold certain knowledge within the organization and how to reach them to access the necessary information they are seeking.

Knowledge sharing naturally occurs along existing connections within the organization and an effective knowledge sharing strategy will create more of these links. Communities of practice are groups of people that share backgrounds of expertise or driven by common goal coming together to share and learn from each other either in person or virtually. There are many benefits to creating communities of practice including increased performance and productivity as well as faster and smarter decision-making and innovation.

An efficient knowledge sharing process enables companies to develop and sustain a valuable competitive advantage in their market.
Improving the flow of knowledge should be at the forefront of strategic planning for organizations through both technological and social initiatives that can improve overall knowledge sharing practices.