The term knowledge management is probably not unfamiliar to you. It literally means: the process of creating, sharing, using, and managing knowledge and information. The morass of knowledge grows every year, making finding information and sharing knowledge difficult – something that practice also shows. It is therefore important that organizations develop a structure that makes easy use and sharing of knowledge with colleagues possible and promotes. Below are 7 practical tips to set you on the right track when it comes to knowledge sharing in organizations.
Ensure that knowledge sharing becomes part of the company culture. Learning and knowledge sharing are not (consciously) part of the daily activities at many organizations. If you want to get started with knowledge sharing in your organization, creating policies and procedures around knowledge sharing with colleagues is crucial. As an organization, you will have to make that decision yourself and also take matters into your own hands if you want to develop a knowledge-sharing culture.
The sharing of knowledge stands or falls with the openness of your employees. You cannot expect openness from your employees if you always keep your cards close to your chest yourself. Ensure that the management of your organization takes the lead in word and deed, and actually demonstrates the policy you want to implement. Lead by example, so to speak. Ensure that managers embody the desired policy, are transparent, and actively participate in knowledge sharing.
It will be recognizable for many: a 'Fri-yay drink' (the Friday afternoon drink) where people talk about the workday, that long meeting, or that assignment you worked on for weeks. You might be surprised, but knowledge sharing between colleagues usually takes place during informal moments. Therefore, ensure that you maintain and encourage these informal moments (whether it's a joint lunch or the Friday afternoon drink) – even if you have to organize or initiate them yourself.
When thinking of a team outing, we quickly think of a dinner or an afternoon of laser tag. But if you want the sharing and acquiring of knowledge to truly become part of your organization's company culture, it is important to ensure an inflow of information from 'outside the organization'. That way you make sure that not just information from inside the organization 'travels' through the organization again and again, but 'fresh' information from outside the organization is also regularly introduced. Visit a lecture with your team, go to a training, or invite a speaker.
This tip sounds so simple... in practice, however, knowledge sharing (like many other standard agenda items) often quickly disappears from the already overcrowded meeting agenda for many of us. It may often be scrapped from the agenda, but that does not detract from the fact that the ultimate moment to share knowledge with colleagues is indeed the weekly or monthly meeting. Make a short question round a standard part of the agenda and let everyone share their newly acquired knowledge and insights from the past period with each other.
For some organizations, the intranet is still no more than the online version of the monthly or weekly meeting. That is a missed opportunity – an intranet can be so much more than that. Ensure that there is a place on the intranet for each team where team members can share their knowledge, insights, and tips with colleagues. To make optimal use of your employees' knowledge, it is essential to choose an intranet setup that is super user-friendly so that everyone can and wants to use it.
All the above tips are about sharing knowledge within the existing organization and with current employees. So far, we have not taken changes within the staff into account – something that you as an organization should definitely consider. A major challenge for many organizations lies in retaining the knowledge of departing colleagues for the organization. Standardizing this process is crucial. When an employee leaves, it is essential that they can follow the right procedures. Make sure the handover document is fully completed, that all colleagues are aware of login codes, and that customer relationships have been adequately transferred.
Whether you like it or not: colleagues do not always share knowledge naturally and on their own. You will first have to create the right conditions as an organization and provide your employees with the necessary tools to make knowledge sharing commonplace within your organization. If there is no culture of knowledge sharing yet, it will have to be developed and implemented. You can do this in one go or step by step – as long as you're moving in the right direction. Whether you run very hard or take baby steps – in the end, both options will get you at the intended destination.