#IHRIM2014: Push & Pull: Capturing & Transferring Knowledge Using Technology

Monday, Devin and I had the privilege of presenting at the International Association for Human Resource Information Management’s 2014 HRMS Strategies Conference in Anaheim, California. For those of you who weren’t able to attend, you can find out what you missed at the conference by reading tweets under the hashtag #IHRIM2014 and you can get the highlights of Devin and my presentation in the following post.

As large numbers of Baby Boomers exit the working world and organizations are faced with a young talent pool that’s untethered from the idea of long-term employment with one company, the ongoing push and pull of information and institutional knowledge is imperative to organizations’ sustainability.

In many cases, large amounts of tacit and technical knowledge are held and go uncaptured and untransferred as employees and leaders enter and exit organizations, threatening sustainability. To ensure sustainability and mitigate the risks that come with turnover, organizations need to implement knowledge transfer strategies.

4 Stages of Effective Learning

For any knowledge transfer strategy to succeed, the employees working to absorb the knowledge must experience effective learning. This occurs when the learners progress through a cycle of four stages – each stage supporting and feeding the next. No one stage alone is as effective as completing all four.

A successful knowledge transfer plan will incorporate each of the following four stages:

1. Demonstration. In this stage the Knowledge Teacher shares, shows or demonstrates a process or procedure.

2. Reflection. In this stage, the Knowledge Learner analyzes what she’s seen and thinks about the process or procedure.

3. Action. In this stage, the Knowledge Learner completes the activity, task or procedure on her own.

4. Discussion. Finally, the Knowledge Teacher and the Knowledge Learner debrief on the process to find out what went well and what could be improved.

6 Considerations for Evaluating Talent Risks and Needs

Once you understand the four steps of effective learning, you need to identify your organization’s talent risks and needs. There are six things you should consider as part of a complete evaluation of each key position or role in your organization:

• Rarity of skill or knowledge. How difficult would it be to find and hire another employee who has the skills and knowledge required to succeed in this position?

• Sphere of influence. How much influence does the person in this position have on the organization?

• Impact on bottom line. How much does this position affect the organization’s overall productivity and profitability?

• Loss to competition. How likely is it you will lose the incumbent in this position to your competition?

• Promotion or transfer. How likely is it you will lose the incumbent in this position to an internal promotion or transfer?

• Retirement. How likely is it the incumbent will retire and leave the organization?

Using Technology for Knowledge Transfer

When organizations think about transferring knowledge, or training their successors, they often think of traditional methods of documenting procedures, such as creating desktop procedures and traditional methods of training such as one-on-one training, but there are many ways to capture, transfer and retain knowledge, or mitigate its loss.

Technology plays a key role in helping companies to capture and transfer knowledge. At Success Labs, we use our own inQ® software technology to create a structured process to ensure critical knowledge, information, skills and relationships are captured and transferred so an organization maintains its capacity for effective action and competitiveness.

InQ is succession and development planning software that helps organizations reduce their talent and knowledge risks in 90 days or less by targeting their most critical positions and key talent. InQ also provides development planning tools that help organizations to create high impact development plans that will help employees stay on track to achieve their development goals.

Technology helps to successfully get knowledge transfer done through documenting the plan, creating a dynamic, living, breathing process, and providing visibility and accountability to employees and leaders.

Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how inQ® can work for your company or if you need help developing and executing knowledge transfer plans at your organization.

Success Labs is a full-service, strategic organizational and leadership development company located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.