While there is growing recognition amongst humanitarians that knowledge sharing and exchange are essential components of organisational efficiency and effectiveness, knowledge management processes in many humanitarian organisations are still inadequate. The review of knowledge management and international relations literature reveals limited research on the institutional memory of humanitarian organisations. This article aims to start filling this research gap by examining the use of explicit and tacit knowledge transfer in the humanitarian sector in the Asia-Pacific. It points to the embryonic stage of knowledge management and the reliance on tacit knowledge management consistent with the early stage of sector professionalization in the region. It reviews and analyses existing scholarly literature and manuals and draws on fieldwork interviews with key humanitarian personnel that primarily focus on natural hazards. The findings suggest institutional memory in the humanitarian sector remains ad hoc with limited long-term capture. There is a broad tendency in the region to rely on tacit knowledge transfer – interpersonal relationships and informal decision-making – as the dominant knowledge management practice. This reliance challenges knowledge management at the institutional level and indicates a weakness in the institutional memory of humanitarian organisations in the region. Our research raises questions about how to improve knowledge management practices within humanitarian organisations in the Asia-Pacific with significant implications for the sector more generally. A recalibration of tacit and explicit knowledge management would build institutional memory in humanitarian organisations. This requires a dual-track approach with codified documentation of experiences and greater emphasis on an institutional culture of knowledge sharing.

尽管人道主义者之间日益认识到，知识共享和交流是组织效率和效力的重要组成部分，但许多人道主义组织的知识管理程序仍然不足。对知识管理和国际关系文献的回顾表明，对人道主义组织的机构记忆的研究有限。本文旨在通过研究在亚太地区人道主义部门中使用显性和隐性知识转移来填补这一研究空白。它指出了知识管理的萌芽阶段以及对隐性知识管理的依赖，这与该地区行业专业化的早期阶段保持一致。它审查和分析了现有的学术文献和手册，并与主要关注自然灾害的主要人道主义人员进行了实地访谈。调查结果表明，人道主义部门的机构记忆仍然是临时性的，长期捕获有限。该地区存在广泛的趋势，即依赖隐性知识转移（人际关系和非正式决策）作为主要的知识管理实践。这种依赖性挑战了机构一级的知识管理，并表明该区域人道主义组织的机构记忆能力薄弱。我们的研究提出了有关如何改善亚太地区人道主义组织内部知识管理实践的问题，这对整个部门都具有重大意义。对默认和隐性知识管理的重新校准将在人道主义组织中建立机构记忆。这就需要采用双轨方法，将经验汇编成文，并更加重视知识共享的体制文化。