What Is Knowledge Transfer?
Knowledge transfer means capturing institutional knowledge that may not be written down, or else not preserved in traditional databases, to ensure it’s available for all workers to leverage.
So much knowledge in any operation is inside people’s heads, especially experienced older workers who know the business’s processes top-to-bottom. If you’ve got that one person in your office that everyone goes to when they hit an unusual problem, due to their age or experience, this is the sort of knowledge that needs to be preserved. Otherwise, if that worker leaves, their hard-learned insights could be lost.
So, better knowledge transfer processes are called for, to preserve that knowledge and convert it into KB articles, learning tools, and other systems which are accessible to all workers.
What Types of Knowledge Need to be Transferred?
Broadly, there are two types of organizational knowledge: explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge.
Explicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge means formalized processes and information which can be easily translated into written policies, reports, SOPs, etc. This is relatively easy to capture.
Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge means operations which are non-obvious, not documented, or are otherwise situational, and only learned through time and experience. This would include problem-solving skills, knowing quirks or bugs in the software, and understanding how to ‘work’ internal operations for better efficiency.
Tacit knowledge is far harder to preserve, but vital to include in your knowledge management policies. These are the tips and tricks that keep your business running smoothly.
Why Knowledge Transfer Breaks Down in Organizations
Without policies encouraging transfer of knowledge, and a solid Knowledge Management System (KMS) to catalog that information, it’s easy for knowledge transfer to break down.
For example:
- Departing employees take critical information with them
- Silo’ed teams working off of their own individual KBs, without consistency across teams
- No structured process for recognizing and preserving knowledge prevents tacit knowledge transfer
- Agents in training receiving conflicting information or knowledge sources
All of these ultimately degrade the efficiency of your operation, risking higher expenses and lower customer satisfaction.
How to Build an Effective Knowledge Transfer Process
- Develop a knowledge transfer plan that focuses on identifying necessary information and creating policies for preserving it.
- Invest in a better Knowledge Management System which is capable of scanning and identifying key knowledge hidden in your systems.
- Have people responsible for overseeing the KMS, verifying its accuracy, and tracking metrics on usage.
- Implement shadowing and mentorship policies which encourage older workers to aid newcomers – and to preserve the knowledge they share.
- Encourage knowledge-sharing at all levels. Employees should see each other as valuable information resources.
- Having difficulty preserving tacit knowledge? Try filming your most experienced workers and encouraging them to simply talk about obscure things they’ve learned. A smart AI-powered KMS can then convert this into documentation.
- Proactively implement policies encouraging outgoing experienced workers to preserve as much knowledge as possible before leaving.
- Continue monitoring and tracking knowledge transfer as part of your larger knowledge management policies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowledge sharing is simply one worker showing another how to do something. Knowledge transfer means preserving that knowledge in a more permanent form, such as KB articles, to ensure easy access for all.
Tacit knowledge is only gained with experience, and is often very situational. It can be difficult to recognize, categorize, or create formal documentation covering relevant situations.
Smart KMS tools can scan a vast amount of data within your organization, including more informal sources such as email chains or chatroom logs, seeking out tacit knowledge which might be lost otherwise.
In short:
- Customer service becomes error-prone
- Business processes become more inefficient
- Training becomes more difficult and time-consuming
- Employees may lack resources to solve difficult or novel problems
- Ultimately, customer satisfaction could be at risk
This can be measured both directly and indirectly. Direct measurement involves monitoring employee usage of knowledge resources, tracking time spent searching for information and the rate of correct answers found.
Indirect measurement can look at metrics such as average handle time or first-call resolution in your call centers, or customer satisfaction with CS interactions.
In Conclusion: Preserve Your Knowledge Before It’s Gone!
Modern businesses run on knowledge – so don’t let your knowledge be lost. Better knowledge transfer policies backed by a smart KMS can help ensure even obscure tacit knowledge is preserved and ready for future workers.
KMS Lighthouse is your partner for improving internal knowledge management and information preservation. Contact us to learn more about how AI-powered knowledge management tools can preserve vital organizational information.