they’re going to leave. pick their brains first.
by steven e. sacks
i’ve discussed the importance of collecting and storing institutional knowledge in the event of employee illness, resignation, relocation and acquisition. not to be overlooked is to have the support of your employees to make this endeavor successful.
more: why knowledge maintenance is key | set your staff on the right course | how motivation is like bathing | be a talent magnet | make crap a badge of honor | the job interview: a make or break proposition | 10 elements to balancing shareholders’ needs
exclusively for pro members. log in here or 2022世界杯足球排名 today.
employees will want to know how it will personally benefit them, because after all, this is another function you have assigned them. you need a deft touch in explaining that documenting their experience and knowledge is not a “chore,” it is an integral component for preventing disruptions to operations during times of change – both anticipated and unanticipated.
“knowledge has to be improved, challenged and increased constantly, or it vanishes.” – peter drucker
in explaining this to employees, company leaders have to convey that the company’s current situation is a result of their past efforts. being part of a current team, they will be vital to maintaining the company’s prosperity and longevity. and finally, the company will need all their efforts to continue future growth.
explain the rationale
this is a two-way street. company leaders need to understand that what motivates their employees may go beyond a paycheck. employees need to know they are valued assets to be nurtured through expanded skills, training and opportunities for upward growth. each employee brings his or her own talents and skills to the table.
how you uncover these talents goes beyond a lunch conversation. it has to do with your leadership style and workplace culture; these are two areas that go well beyond maintaining knowledge.
consider. plan. act.
as you embark on codifying processes and controls, think of your overall systems, particularly the level of human intervention versus automation. consider what functions normally give rise to mistakes and whether these mistakes are a result of employee turnover or just inherent inefficiency of the process.
make sure if there are redundancies in processes, they exist for maintaining internal control. if not, replace or modify steps that assist in other areas of the practice, such as vendor contracts or client relations. not everything needs to be documented; however, not every job function is immutable. in fact, the loss of an employee may force you to rethink positions and the allocation of responsibilities.
or, maybe it requires redefining positions and roles so that you don’t lose a key employee. and if you do, at least capturing and maintaining information about each employee’s role, interdependence with other teams or departments and the training necessary, you can mitigate the costs associated with bringing a replacement on board.
sounds like common sense, yes? but how many firms take the time to actually do this or make modifications as the business grows? the days of the lifetime employee have gone the way of … well, you name it. it is no longer a question of whether your employees will leave, but rather when. so, maintaining a repository of employee knowledge is something more than simply an item on next week’s to-do list.