Knowledge sharing is about bridging the gap between experience, expertise, and innovation within an organization. By sharing knowledge in a structured way, you ensure that employees have access to information across different departments and areas of expertise. In this article, we’ll look at the various forms of knowledge worth documenting and provide five practical tips to help you build a strong culture of knowledge sharing in your company.
Why Is Knowledge Sharing Important?
When an employee leaves, valuable expertise often walks out the door with them. Illness or other unforeseen events can also make the company vulnerable if critical knowledge resides only with a few individuals. With good routines for knowledge sharing, you ensure that key information remains accessible, allowing your business to continue innovating and growing.
To capture and retain your organization’s know-how, you need a comprehensive strategy, regular updates, and ongoing communication. Below are five tips to help you get started.
What Is Knowledge Sharing?
Knowledge sharing goes beyond merely transferring or documenting information. It’s about making essential information easily available to the relevant people, cutting across departments, specializations, and areas of responsibility. We can divide knowledge into three main categories:
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Explicit Knowledge
This knowledge is easy to document—for instance, step-by-step user manuals. It’s structured, straightforward to communicate, and rarely poses major interpretation challenges. -
Implicit Knowlegde
This knowledge is developed through practice and experience. When an employee uses an accounting program daily, they learn new methods, shortcuts, and integrations not necessarily documented in a manual. -
Tacit Knowlegde
This is the more intuitive understanding that accumulates over time, often based on personal experiences, relationships, and context. While it can be challenging to document fully, it’s crucial to share through hands-on training, observation, and practice.
Companies that systematically share all three types of knowledge are better prepared to innovate, make well-informed decisions, and maintain core competencies even when employees transition out of the organization.
Knowledge Sharing vs. Knowledge Structure
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Knowledge Sharing focuses on disseminating information to the right people at the right time.
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Knowledge Structure deals with how that information is organized, gathered, and stored.
When both are combined, you get a holistic solution where information is not only stored securely but also shared effectively.
Why Make Knowledge Sharing a Priority?
- Improved Collaboration: Properly distributing knowledge helps employees collaborate more efficiently and break down departmental silos.
- A “Single Source of Truth”: When key information is stored in one place, employees don’t waste time searching for it or duplicating work.
- Reduced Vulnerability: By actively sharing information, you avoid losing critical knowledge if an individual is absent or leaves the company.
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5 Tips to Increase Knowledge Sharing in Your Company
1. Create a Knowledge Structure Strategy
Involve employees to determine which information should be documented. Consider what routines, processes, and procedures are crucial for optimal job performance.
Ask questions such as:
- Are there defined processes that must be followed to perform a particular task?
- Which information do project team members typically need?
- What would colleagues need to know if you were suddenly unable to come to work?
Use Business Online. to set up interactive flow diagrams in the form of Quality Control Plans,making it easier to follow and document important processes.
2. Build a Culture of Knowledge Sharing
Leadership should set the tone by openly sharing internal notes, emails, and meeting summaries. Use a central tool (like Business Online) that allows for continuous posting of information, promoting transparency and unity.
3. Make Sharing Simple and Accessible
Avoid time-consuming intranet solutions that go largely unused. A system that’s part of employees’ daily workflow (e.g., Business Online) is more likely to be adopted. You can create departmental pages for specific topics and ensure crucial news is displayed on a main page so everyone stays updated.
4. Identify Internal Experts
Pinpoint key individuals in each department and leverage their knowledge to guide, motivate, and train others. This ensures valuable experiences and best practices are spread throughout the organization.
5. Establish a Centralized Knowledge Repository
Make sure all important information is stored in one digital location. With Business Online, you get an organized platform where everyone can easily save, categorize, and retrieve knowledge. This means less time spent searching and more time spent creating value.
By implementing these tips, your company can not only boost efficiency and collaboration, but also foster a stronger culture of innovation and continuous learning.