Contingent knowledge and technology development

It is widely recognized that many different types and forms of knowledge contribute to technology development. Formal codified knowledge, tacit knowledge, informal knowledge and cultural knowledge have all recently been addressed However, one other particular form of knowledge-the contribution of knowledge/information embodied in the working context-has not been directly or explicitly addressed to the same extent. Yet this form of knowledge-'contingent knowledge'-it is argued, plays a crucial but under-appreciated role in technology development and innovation. In this paper, the concept of contingent knowledge is further explicated and illustrated by means of examples, and the strategic and practical implications are drawn out.