Knowledge management remains one of the three most important issues influencing the company’s success – according to the „2021 Global Human Capital Trends” report by Deloitte. Still, only 9% of organizations surveyed feel ready to address this area.

One of the key elements of knowledge management is to ensure its transfer between individual sectors of the company. Knowledge transfer has become even more important in achieving business results, due to the digitalizing work environment. Many organizations have moved to a remote or hybrid mode of work, and this has caused organizational knowledge to disperse across different locations along with employees. As a result, the existing methods of transferring knowledge in the company cease to be effective and must also undergo digitization to keep up with the modern market.

The transfer of information within the organization goes beyond the issue of communication. The knowledge transfer system includes identifying and collecting information from employees, consolidating it in a consistent and accessible way, as well as making it available to other people employed in the company. The most important information should be provided to employees in a clear way and at the right time.

The quality of knowledge transfer is important not only for employers, but also for employees. A study conducted by Deloitte showed that organizations that care for and optimize the transfer of knowledge between individual sectors and departments are perceived by employees as more competitive, boasting higher revenues and higher customer satisfaction. In addition, employees perceive these organizations as attractive and innovative employers.

4 tips to help you transfer the most important knowledge in your company:

• Locating competence gaps in the organization.

A competence gap may arise as a result of changes in the organization, inadequate talent and competence management, or as a result of the departure of a key employee from the company. In a study cited by the Chief Learning Officer, as many as 42% of organizations admitted that after the end of the employment relationship, they had to hire former employees as consultants to deal with the knowledge gap in the company. Such activities are associated with additional costs and loss of part of the organization’s know-how. Locating competence gaps allows you to recognize which employees should be reached with a given knowledge and who in the organization has the information necessary to supplement it. An example is the digital competence gap that emerged at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and which needed to be quickly filled to ensure business continuity for organisations in a digitalising work environment. In identifying competence gaps in companies, m.in constantly updated employee competence profiles, as well as monitoring whether employees leaving the organization have passed on their knowledge to others, can help.

• Building an information structure.

In order for the transfer of information in the organization to be effective, knowledge – formal and informal – should be consistent and made available to all interested employees, e.g. in the form of a knowledge base. Thanks to this, the organization minimizes the gap between theoretical and practical knowledge, and employees have all the relevant information at their fingertips. Cataloged knowledge allows employees to find the information they are interested in much faster.

Building an information structure allows you to better manage knowledge, update it and eliminate errors. One of the methods is to create publicly available internal documents, m.in knowledge bases, checklists, templates and lists of good practices, which become a signpost and a reliable source of knowledge for all employees.

• Providing tools to improve knowledge exchange.

The organization should implement technological solutions that will allow employees to exchange the most important information. These tools can be, for example, development platforms. Digital systems allow you to reach all employees with knowledge and guarantee repeatability and monitoring of conducted activities. Thanks to this, the most important information reaches employees in a clear way and at a time convenient for them.

It is necessary to find technological solutions that will allow employees to have constant and free access to the most important information in the company – from anywhere and at a time convenient for them.

• Taking into account the exchange of knowledge in the culture of the organization.

Employee productivity can increase by 20-25% thanks to the introduction of effective technologies supporting social learning. Only when employees are encouraged to learn from each other and share information is an effective transfer of knowledge within the company possible.

Learning and development should be an essential element in shaping organizational culture. The work environment, which supports the exchange of the most important information between employees and departments, focuses m.in on designing individual development paths, talent management, equalizing opportunities in development and supporting employees in deepening their competences.

Smooth communication of important information in the organization allows employees to make more accurate decisions. Knowledge transfer is a flow of data, tools, good practices, feedback, ideas and comments that gives the right employees a full picture of the risks and factors that can influence the decision.

Other benefits of standardizing the flow of information in the company are eliminating communication disruptions, which are often the cause of errors, as well as protracted projects and tasks. The current transmission of the most important information also allows to retain in the structures of the organization the knowledge of employees who intend to leave the ranks of the company.

Thanks to the smooth transfer of knowledge in the organization, employees have more information about the company’s operation. They can combine knowledge about customers, suppliers and current trends in the industry and make accurate business decisions based on them. Knowledge transfer supports organizational learning and development of employees’ competences, translating into building the organization’s know-how.

Source: https://hcmdeck.com/blog/transfer-wiedzy-w-organizacji/

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.