6 November 2018

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Whether you work in a small or large environment, it is easy to fall into victim to a ‘silo’ or ‘blinder’ view. This is where you only know what happens within your department or section. While this may help when first learning the job, it can lead to efforts being duplicated. Also, when people leave or transition from positions, processes may be lost due to lack of sharing.

Lack of Knowledge Sharing

A recent T&D article discussed the lack of knowledge sharing within the work environment. It was a review of Panopto’s Workplace Knowledge and Productivity Report which found that six of 10 employees have difficulty finding needed information. In the study, participants reported spending six hours per week duplicating efforts and eights hours per week performing inefficiently due to lack of knowledge. As expected, new employees are more susceptible to working inefficiently (28 hours per month). 

Based on these findings, organizations may consider updating their on-boarding processes to include knowledge sharing. A key consideration when doing this should be that the average time participants reported it takes to learn a new job is six months; however, most only received 2.5 months of formal on-boarding.

Creating a Knowledge Sharing Environment

The numbers point to breaking down the silos and creating a knowledge sharing environment. But, how do we do that? The Enterprise Communication Network  has provided six tips.

1. Keep Communication Transparent – Employees should be able to freely express their ideas which might contribute to company success.
2. Organize Scheduled Meetings – Devote round table meetings to allow employees to share ideas with their superiors.
3. Engaging People via Conversations – Like-minded people tend to share ideas and create new and exciting ideas. However, they need to have opportunities to meet outside of formal meetings (i.e. company BBQ, picnics, etc.).
4. Telling Success Stories – Leadership must share success stories with junior staff to motivate and encourage. 
5. Creating a Knowledge Base – Develop a repository of knowledge where information can easily be accessed and stored.
6. Open Door Policy – Allow employees to feel comfortable approaching to ask questions of peers and superiors.

Conclusion

It’s time to break down the silos that divide a company and limit growth. The employees are kept unaware of what is happening within another group and unable to share beneficial knowledge. If knowledge is truly power, you should be willing to share throughout your organization.