Let’s look at a quick business scenario on knowledge management:
A biotech manufacturing plant was divided into several departments, but did not have a good communication system in place. Employees repeatedly ceased production for meetings to share information. In addition, employees had little understanding of what other teams were working on. Modifying routines meant more meetings and even spottier production. Every time a task changed hands without clear directives there was new opportunity for error, which oftentimes led to unfulfilled orders.
Though the knowledge management strategy of every company varies, the result is the same: sharing insights and experiences in order to improve processes and practices. The most effective way to share that information starts with an effective communication system, such as an enterprise social network.
The following are some of the tips you might consider when using your enterprise social network to assist in knowledge management:
- Assess the current situation. While people may work in the same department or physical location of a certain building, they may not actually be communicating and working in tandem with one another. What knowledge management practices does your organization have in place? What practices don’t you have in place right now that could be helpful in the future? Carefully consider the answers to these questions, and pay special attention to any information silos your company may have. During the planning phases, keep in mind enterprise social media can act as a centralized hub for all of your knowledge management needs.
- Vision and definition. It works best for each organization to develop its own custom knowledge management strategy. But, keep in mind there’s no objective “right” or “wrong” strategy. Don’t worry about creating the perfect approach right from the start – simply define a functional one for now that clearly helps your organization start heading in the right direction, and continue to refine it in the future. Factors you will want to consider at this point include who will drive the strategy and best practices for sharing and storing knowledge with private social media (through video, text, or voice memos).
- Plan of action. It’s important to have an action plan, but it’s also good to be able to adapt the action plan. To help facilitate that, ensure leading personnel in all of your company’s departments not only have ready channels of communication, but a defined role for which they are held accountable. That way when issues crop up leaders will know what is expected, how to communicate it to the rest of the team and work towards a resolution more quickly.
It’s not enough just to have knowledge, it’s knowing how to use it and share it with others. When you have a winning knowledge management strategy implemented in tight coordination with your enterprise social network, you have a recipe for success.
Don’t just end there. Consider also reading Elevate Employee Onboarding with Knowledge Management.
