Inside of your organization, valuable knowledge is not being accessed. More importantly, it’s not being used to improve employee development, increase organizational performance, or advance bottom line growth. In fact, arguably the most valuable form of knowledge in an organization—an individual’s tacit knowledge—rarely is accessible to others. What if you did have access to that knowledge—that information that would allow you to reach conclusions faster or facilitate strategic management decisions? It is possible if you use the right methods.
Tacit knowledge can be difficult to capture because it’s not easily codified or stored in repositories. However, if your organization is diligent about creating outlets for person-to-person knowledge sharing, it is possible not to allow valuable knowledge to slip by unnoticed. One way you can take action is to stop reinventing the wheel; recognize that there are experts across your organization who likely are dealing with similar, if not the same, challenges. Network and locate them, and begin to form relationships. The more relationships you form, the more frequently you will informally (and formally) exchange knowledge and learning with others, the faster you will learn, and the quicker you will be able to address challenges you encounter.
Another effective way to exchange tacit knowledge is to facilitate more formal learning conversations. Gather a group of cross-functional individuals who work on similar tasks such as selling, building external relationships, giving presentations, creating engagement for initiatives, and so forth. Look beyond the surface, and be creative when you explore where these similarities exist. A learning conversation allows your group to brainstorm around a defined topic, giving everyone the opportunity to share her experiences and what she has learned from those experiences.
For example, you may learn how others’ strategies can be put into play for you, how to manage in an innovative way, or how to create engagement and buy-in for an initiative you want to bring to your colleagues. Document the session and make it accessible to the organization. This is a very fluid form of knowledge sharing, and provides others with the opportunity to learn about the discussion without being physically present—a great opportunity for decentralized, geographically separated organizations especially. You could even create a repository of “lessons learned” that others can search for keywords to find solutions to their immediate needs.
Build relationships, collaborate cross-functionally, and, most importantly, share what you are learning with others so everyone within your organization has access to information. When learning and knowledge sharing is encouraged, employees are motivated and engaged, and become proactive leaders who create high-performing teams of individuals. In turn, you become part of an organization that remains on the leading edge of the market.
Read the prior blog post in this series.
