There is a tremendous amount of knowledge held by vendors and key people in an organization. The longer they have been associated with an organization, the more nuanced and valuable that knowledge will be.
It’s essential to have a system in place for an effective knowledge transfer before they leave the company. Managers don’t want to lose all that knowledge and have their new employees or vendors scrambling to get caught up to fit in.
An effective process for knowledge transfer will ensure that new key people and vendors will be productive as soon as possible. It will also reduce the frustrations of everyone involved.
Table of Contents
What is Knowledge Transfer?
Knowledge transfer is a methodical process of transferring knowledge from one person or organization to another. Knowledge management is a discipline that deals with all aspects of knowledge transfer and the processes involved in managing knowledge.
Knowledge transfer is a two-way process. The sender and receiver of the information need to be aware of what they are doing and why they are doing it. The sender needs to know what valuable information they have to share, while the receiver needs to know how to receive it, store it, and use it.
The sender must also be sure that the receiver will understand their message and not misinterpret it because of cultural differences or language barriers.
Creating a Plan
The knowledge transfer plan or process may take place in various ways. The knowledge may be transferred in person or remotely, through written communication or verbal communication, and formal training sessions or informal conversations.
Effective knowledge transfer systems are essential for any company that wants to grow and not be held back when there are key personnel changes.
The key is to collect, organize, and share knowledge between members of an organization to maximize productivity and efficiency. As the world becomes more complex and interconnected than ever before, it becomes increasingly essential for companies to focus on developing these processes so they can stay competitive in today’s global marketplace.
Document the Knowledge
Companies can build transfer strategies upon the explicit knowledge in formal documents, guidelines, or other codified processes. These can be made more accessible and shareable. Coaching, for example, is more intuitive and challenging to quantify tacit and implicit knowledge. The experience can range from personal insights to accumulated knowledge.
The knowledge transfer process involves different flows at various levels:
- Organizational knowledge transfer from vendor-to-vendor or client-to-vendor
- Project knowledge transfer between team members
- Individual knowledge transfer from one expert to another
Step 1. Design Your Knowledge Transfer Process
The knowledge transfer process is a process for ensuring that the employees are aware of what they are supposed to do and how they should do it. This process can be formal or informal and happen through written documents, videos, or even verbal communication. The point of this process is to make sure that new employees have all the necessary information on what they need to do and how they need to do it.
In some companies, knowledge transfer processes are used as a way for the company to maintain consistency across departments and teams. When this happens, the company will have a set of guidelines for knowledge transfer processes which will include who should be doing the knowledge transfer, how often it should happen, and what needs to be included in the knowledge transfer.
Step 2. Define the Knowledge Content Requirements
Content creators need to know what they want to say before transferring their knowledge to others. They need to identify the topic and the audience first. They should also ensure that they know what kind of content they want and how it will be delivered.
There are many ways for a content creator to explain technical information simply. One way is by using analogies or metaphors to help us understand more complex topics more easily. Another way is by breaking down complex topics into smaller, more digestible bits of information such as step-by-step instructions or bullet points.
Step 3. Identify the Key Messages & Core Content Blocks
The key messages in a given section are the most essential communication points. It is also essential to identify what content blocks will be used to communicate these messages.
Step 4. Develop Core Messages with Brief Exemplars
It’s essential to have a clear message that you want to convey. You can use brief exemplars to help you with this.
Brief exemplars are a way of simplifying your message and making it easier for the reader to understand what you want them to do or think.
For maximum effectiveness, messages to be clear, concise, and memorable. With brief examples, you can ensure that your core messages are all three of those things because they summarize what you want the reader to know in just one sentence each.
Conclusion
Learning, adjusting, and improving are integral parts of knowledge transfer. You cannot do without a solid action plan and experienced specialists when you are preparing for knowledge transfer in your project or organization.
About Carson Derrow
