Knowledge sharing increases social interaction amongst employees. It also builds trust and enhances creativity – especially in regards to problem-solving and innovation. Yet, one of the biggest advantages is also the easiest to overlook. <\/p>\n\n\n
That means a top-down approach to the process. Starting in the front office and working its way down to the production floor. Effective collaboration requires that leadership set the example and maintain an active role in the process. Here\u2019s how.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\nKey Takeaways:<\/b>\n You retain existing knowledge from employees who quit, retire, or move on.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n If you truly want to encourage knowledge sharing, leadership must set the tone.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Make sure you create a culture of collaboration to encourage team members to knowledge share.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It\u2019s no secret how important company culture<\/a> is in building a brand. Articulating your mission, values, attitudes, and behaviors goes a long way towards attracting (and retaining) top talent. However, defining how you capture and share information is a critical element as well. <\/p>\n\n\n Companies can promote a culture<\/a> of knowledge sharing and collaboration with their everyday actions. For example, by openly sharing information and including everyone in the decision-making process<\/strong>. Like soliciting input on current issues and collecting feedback on future growth strategies.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Including employees makes them feel vested and encourages additional participation. <\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n To further encourage knowledge sharing, company cultures should also emphasize interdepartmental collaboration. Removing the \u201csilos\u201d of the workplace not only encourages collaboration but also improves outcomes.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Studies show that inclusive teams make better decisions 87% of the time and experience 60% better results because of it.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The hiring process<\/a> is another area where leadership can promote collaboration. Making new employees feel welcome fosters open dialogue and encourages participation. Organizations that are serious about open knowledge sharing adopt similar strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n Mentorship\/shadowing.<\/b> Assigning mentors to incoming team members offers several advantages. Mentoring new employees helps them find their \u201cvoice\u201d and develop confidence faster. This practice also accelerates \u201cknowledge transfer\u201d – which reduces the learning curve and kickstarts productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n As their confidence grows, new hires begin to share with others – both their existing knowledge and valuable new ideas as well. Which, in turn, encourages further collaboration in a self-sustaining productivity loop.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Communication.<\/b> That goes above and beyond the norm. Letting new hires know what to expect, when, and why is critical. Then, constantly seek their feedback along the way to answer questions, resolve concerns, and ensure employees feel valued and appreciated.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Highlight success.<\/b> Throughout your culture but especially on your \u201cCareers\u201d and \u201cAbout\u201d pages. Consider posting success stories<\/em> about employees or teams who\u2019ve overcome challenges by partnering together and sharing information. Emphasizing the theme that collaboration is what made it all possible.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Bottom line – make it known that sharing knowledge is part of your company DNA<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\n You\u2019ll attract talent who share the same values while repelling those that don\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n One of the best ways to facilitate collaboration is by removing the obstacles that prevent it. In traditional workplaces, employees are segregated by walls, cubicles, and offices. Which means people must go out of their way to collaborate or have social interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n Research suggests that open offices are not the answer. However, grouping teams together may very well be.<\/p>\n\n\n Especially in comfortable, quiet areas with their own whiteboards, equipment, and room to relax. Giving cross-functional teams their own space makes knowledge sharing intuitive. While simultaneously drowning out the common noise and distractions of boundless office environments. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/li>\n Technology is yet another resource to encourage knowledge management. Nowadays, applications exist for most everything – from remote meetings and file sharing to internal blogs, newsletters, and communication tools.<\/p>\n\n\n The options for sharing electronic information are endless.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Besides creating workspaces that encourage collaboration, consider adding social events to the office calendar as well. Such as workday celebrations or after-hours meetups that are fun, engaging, and allow for personal interaction and networking.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Strong peer relationships not only promote knowledge sharing but produce happier employees as well. Which makes sharing and collaboration all the more natural.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n It\u2019s a simple fact – human beings crave appreciation. Being recognized makes us feel liked, valued, and brings a sense of meaning to our work. And according to a recent Canadian study, 58% of employees say that \u201cimproved recognition\u201d is a driving factor for boosting workplace engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n This same report showed that high engagement scores generate elevated productivity, better working relationships, and employees willing to do more than what is expected.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n A proven strategy to create engagement and promote knowledge sharing is to publicly recognize high-performers. Especially employees whose accomplishments are tied to collaboration or teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n Highlighting the value of knowledge management encourages more of the same.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/li>\n Share praise and give kudos in front of an employee\u2019s peers. Whether that be through email, online, or during regular team meetings. Make it a point to recognize their efforts and explain how the results benefit the organization.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n You can also create contests that incentivize winners who collaborate and share knowledge. Encourage experimentation as a natural part of business development. And reassure staff that failure is simply part of making progress.<\/p>\n\n\n Letting employees know you value their work – and trust their decisions – goes a long way towards nurturing cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Capturing and documenting information is the \u201csecret sauce\u201d<\/em> to encourage knowledge management. Documentation includes everything from internal processes and daily operating procedures to customer support guides and troubleshooting steps. <\/p>\n\n\n Every business function that must be learned, repeated, shared, or archived should be part of your knowledge hub.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n A recent global consumer survey revealed that over 71% of online customers expect to be helped within five minutes – with the majority preferring to use self-support options. Coupled with the fact that employees spend nearly 20% of their workday looking for information, the need for better data repositories is clear. <\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n When team members have more access to the data they need, everyone benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n Customers receive better, faster service<\/b><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Employee training time goes down<\/b><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Workplace efficiency goes up<\/b><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Team collaboration improves<\/b><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n Engagement remains high<\/b><\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n While intended for employee and customer use, leadership teams must establish these knowledge bases and keep them operational. Many organizations start with shared drives loaded full of documents and spreadsheets but quickly learn this method isn\u2019t scalable for long-term growth. <\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n A smarter option is moving to a dedicated knowledge base support platform. These cloud-based solutions are flexible, intuitive, and make it easy to create and deploy a rich content library. Many include enterprise-grade customization and analytics capabilities that are built for employees and customers alike.<\/p>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Just be sure the solution you choose works with your current workflow – not against it. The best platforms integrate seamlessly into your existing infrastructure (and make you wonder how you ever got along without them). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\nCreate A Culture of Collaboration<\/h2>\n
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Retool the Hiring Process<\/h2>\n
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Make Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration Easier<\/h2>\n
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Recognize and Incentive<\/h2>\n
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Document the Process<\/h2>\n
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