How to Preserve Institutional Knowledge

The elements of a perfect storm that threatens organizational success are in place. Since the recession, organizational downsizing has resulted in the loss of subject matter experts, whose years of institutional knowledge walked out the door with them. Many organizations lack effective succession processes that could help mitigate this vulnerability. And with so many demands on scarce resources, leaders often find it easier to allocate them to needs that are most visible, leaving even key behind-the-scenes processes for another day. 

One way to thrive despite this storm is to develop a process that reduces your organization’s vulnerability by retaining, sharing, and using its institutional knowledge. Ideally this process would exist within the context of a robust succession process. However, it also may be developed and implemented on its own. Here are eight steps for creating an effective knowledge management process:

1. Specify a champion who has accountability for implementing this process
   This person must be an active advocate who has the authority to match the responsibility for capturing, sharing, and using institutional knowledge.
2. Identify the desired information
   Ask questions such as, “What do the people in each job need to know, and how do they obtain that knowledge?” and “What problems have arisen? How have we resolved them successfully?”
3. Prioritize the information
   List the information in order of importance and/or urgency. For example, if the only subject matter expert is retiring next month, obtaining the knowledge in his/her head goes to the top of the list. If a recurring problem results in a negative impact on the business, sharing and using the information needed to
   address it becomes a high priority.
4. Determine where, and in what form, the information is located
   Who are the subject matter experts? Does the information currently exist – e.g., in a report tossed in someone’s drawer, in an old training manual?
5. Identify various methods to obtain and preserve the information
   For example, interview your experts, document their relevant stories, have them demonstrate skills, allow employees to shadow them, and provide formal and informal mentoring opportunities.

   Train student interns or employees how to extract the information (e.g., conduct interviews) and have them transcribe the taped interviews. Provide them with a script that covers the what, how, and why.

6. Share the information
   Create desk manuals, searchable knowledge briefs, process visuals, and YouTube videos. Discuss the information during staff meetings. Identify the learning points in stories. Specify what’s in it for people to learn and use the information. 

7. Use the information
   Provide opportunities to practice the skills and apply the information, such as through job shadow programs and special projects.

8. Evaluate the results and tweak the process as necessary
   Design evaluation into the knowledge management process so you are able to assess its success in reaching its stated goals.

Organizations that thrive use their resources effectively and efficiently. A viable knowledge management process will enable you to obtain and capture information on a regular basis, and to disseminate it through a variety of media. Don’t wait until people are walking out the door: start today.

To learn about how to create effective knowledge briefs, take a look at our article Knowledge Briefs: The Succession Planning Tool with Benefits.

To find articles and resources that may be of value to you, I invite you to visit my web site at www.BusinessAlignmentStrategies.com and my blog at www.OptimizeBusinessResults.com.

Alignment Solutions is a concise, bi-weekly newsletter written specifically to help organizational leaders optimize their business results. Your e-mail address is never shared with anyone for any reason. You may unsubscribe by clicking the link on the bottom of this e-mail.

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© 2015 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.

What are You Building?:
Why Context is Critical to
Organizational Success

A story of unknown origin tells about a man who visited a construction site during the Middle Ages. He approached one worker and asked, “What are you doing?” The man replied, “I am laying bricks.” The man walked further and posed the same question to a second worker. The answer: “I’m building a wall.” Approaching a third worker, the man asked the same question and got this response: “I’m building a great cathedral that will last through the ages.”

Context is critical because it shapes how people see the world, think about issues, and make decisions. Imagine the difference the three workers’ perspectives must have made in how each one approached his job every day! Which perspective would you prefer that your employees and customers have?

As a leader, one of your most important responsibilities is to provide a context that inspires your employees to do their best work, and compels your customers to become advocates for your products or services. You can’t do that by laying bricks – i.e., focusing on activities or methodology. While both are necessary, neither is inspirational or compelling. You can’t even inspire people by building a wall – i.e., talking about the products you make or the services you deliver. The way you create your “great cathedral” is to create a compelling “big picture” that clearly demonstrates the value your organization delivers when people purchase your products or services. For example, while FedEx’s early success depended in part on its hub-and-spoke delivery system, that’s not what inspired people to use its service. What caused the company to become wildly successful was the competitive advantage it created by adopting and implementing its slogan “absolutely, positively overnight.” Employees were inspired to meet that standard for every package, and customers gained peace of mind knowing that their important packages would be delivered safely and on time to their intended destinations.

Once your employees and customers see that big picture, the logical next question is, “How do we get there?” Instead of looking for what CAN’T be done due to real or perceived obstacles, people who see a compelling context focus on what CAN be done to make the desired picture a reality. With that mindset, they will find the answers they need to achieve their desired outcome. Although it won’t happen overnight – even today, great cathedrals take time to build – they will get there. And if you keep that picture alive by referring to it constantly, by “connecting the dots” between what you do and how it impacts that outcome, and by making the picture the touchstone for employees’ and customers’ decisions, your competitive advantage will last for the ages.

What context are you providing for your employees and stakeholders? Are you asking them to help you lay bricks, build a wall, or create a great cathedral? The success of your organization depends on your answer.

To see examples of how to distinguish between what your organization does and the value it provides, take a look at our article What is Your Business?

To find articles and resources that may be of value to you, I invite you to visit my web site at www.BusinessAlignmentStrategies.com and my blog at www.OptimizeBusinessResults.com.

Alignment Solutions is a concise, bi-weekly newsletter written specifically to help organizational leaders optimize their business results. Your e-mail address is never shared with anyone for any reason. You may unsubscribe by clicking the link on the bottom of this e-mail.

Click here to Join Our Mailing List!

© 2015 Pat Lynch. All rights reserved.