Employees are more productive and efficient when they have ready access to the resources, expertise, and insights they need to do their job. Because of this, establishing a strategy for organizational knowledge sharing is one of the most important goals for any company to achieve.
The transfer of tacit (undocumented) and explicit (documented) information among employees increases productivity, allows transparency, and empowers personnel at all levels – from the front line to the executive offices. The process of knowledge sharing works best when integrated into the company culture. With that in mind, this article will offer several ways to incorporate knowledge sharing into your corporate mindset.
What Does a Knowledge Sharing Culture Look Like?
A recent Forrester study showed that 36% of employees find it difficult to exchange information across different teams, therefore, only share it with their closest peers. This “silo effect” can be detrimental to efforts to establish a company-wide knowledge-sharing culture. How can these divisions be avoided?
- Encourage employees by ensuring their workplace is fulfilling and enjoyable.
- Establish an atmosphere of learning and innovation.
- Allow for failures and learn from them.
- Model desired behaviors from the executive levels.
- Integrate knowledge sharing into company values.
- Communicate these values company-wide.
- Relay the importance of knowledge sharing during the onboarding process.
The silo mentality makes knowledge sharing challenging, especially if teams use different tools incapable of readily sharing information back and forth. Companies can eliminate information silos by creating a single centralized platform to store and share knowledge without the process becoming time-consuming.
Fast Fact: According to the study, effective knowledge sharing minimizes repeated errors, helping employees make informed decisions and increasing productivity by up to 40%.
Create Space for Knowledge Sharing
Academic studies have proven that employee engagement and knowledge sharing result in better morale and job satisfaction. While situations and environments differ, every organization should work to provide employees with the resources needed to share their knowledge. There are several avenues that a company can explore, including:
- Setting aside time weekly for employees to get together (physically or virtually) to offer knowledge and share resources, experiences, and lessons learned.
- Sponsor routine meetings where staff can discuss what went well, issues, and potential solutions.
- Devise and implement an intelligence portal that can provide real-time access to shared knowledge and expertise.
Lead By Example, Encourage Input from All
Research from the Society for Human Resource Management has revealed that Fortune 500 companies lose approximately $32 billion annually by neglecting to disseminate knowledge effectively across the organization. Management teams must foster a knowledge-sharing culture from the top down to avoid unnecessary loss of resources.
To truly integrate knowledge sharing and inspire trust, senior stakeholders and executives must be role models and lead by example. Leaders who transparently share their successes and failures will encourage their teams to do the same.
Although executive participation is crucial, everyone in the organization should have the opportunity to co-create and co-share corporate knowledge. This practice assures personnel at all levels of the organization that their input is valuable and needed, regardless of the corporate hierarchy.
How to Engage Subject Matter Experts
To improve knowledge sharing company-wide, executives should identify subject-matter experts with valuable insights other employees need. These experts may be “unsung heroes” of the company, employees with a depth of experience and skill but not necessarily a title. Leadership should acknowledge their contribution and explain how they can significantly benefit the company by sharing their knowledge base.
Remember, while expert knowledge is critical to a company’s success, it must also be scalable and efficient to disseminate so as not to burden the employee’s time.
Increasingly, the answer for organizations is implementing a knowledge management tool that provides a centralized location for employees to search for and access the answers they need. Knowledge transfer should be automated and utilize the tools and platforms employees already use and are comfortable with. With a formal knowledge management process in place, an organization mitigates the risk of losing valuable, beneficial information held by people but not appropriately captured or documented. While video conferencing and messaging apps have facilitated knowledge sharing in the workplace over the last few years, the limitations of these tools can leave employees less productive and more frustrated. Experts estimate that employees spend 30 days of work time per year searching for the exact piece of information needed to get their job done. Companies can maximize productivity by offering all relevant employees timely access to that information.
With remote and hybrid work structures on the rise, the need for an integrated knowledge-sharing platform is more compelling than ever. Companies that dedicate the time and effort to establishing a comprehensive exchange of information will find themselves well-positioned to grow and thrive in the contemporary business environment.
The KLONE Organizer is a powerful interactive portal that aggregates all of your company’s tribal and cultural knowledge into one easily searchable location. Call today to learn more.