How do you share knowledge in your organization?
Every company today is focusing on preserving their proprietary knowledgebase. The how varies from company to company and its efficiency differentiates people who have the real edge. However, sharing useful info is the key to success. The days are gone when people used to work in their silos in isolation and would hesitate in sharing their skills with others. Though in public sector organizations such a situation might still exist. Now-a-days in multi-national companies, best-practice sharing is encouraged and people are often rewarded for sharing work-related information.
The company's intranet is the main resource of all relevant processes, procedures and practices. But I feel that only sharing is not enough, applying that knowledge to the everyday work matters.
It also happens that some key players in the company are themselves a knowledgebase. Attrition of such people can be a major loss to the company. Knowledge management takes these factors into consideration.
I also feel that putting everything on the intranet or preserving loads of information also does not serve the purpose. Surveys should be conducted on what type of information is required by the employees or end-users. They should be encouraged more and more by the knowledge officers to document things properly. In IT companies, lack of proper documentation causes a hell lot of problems. Sometimes the code needs maintenance and if the previous employee left the organization without proper documentation, then it is almost rework. Stress should be laid on avoiding rework.
Using forums for interaction and knowledge sharing is also a good idea. This method of communication is better in the sense that many people can build trust through a many-to-many asynchronous online community. The discussions are focused and things can be thrashed out irrespective of the location.
Elearning or online learning is also an effective tool if wisely employed. Sadly, the pressure of the deadlines might sometimes act as a deterrent for elearning. I often wonder whether elearning is possible with all the deadlines unless and until a specific time is allocated separately for this purpose. It often happens that the personal growth of the employee takes a backseat if the seniors are too authoritative and only focused on the outcome, ignoring the employee?s needs. The reviews then are just a sham and the employee also loses focus. The role of the knowledge officer is to help maintain a healthy atmosphere where people are encouraged to share and help each other.
What are the knowledge sharing practices in your organization? Are they really helpful for you? Are there any ideas, which you would like to discuss and share?
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