Whether you are big, small, old or new, your organisation could be chucking money out of the window!

I wrote my Masters dissertation on knowledge management. It may sound dull to some, and sound like business jargon to others, but it is a concept that is relevant to all types of businesses and organisations, from multinationals to local football teams.

There are 2 types of knowledge, tacit and explicit. Explicit is that which is easily shared such as ‘how many applications do we support?’ and ‘what is the name of the client?’. Tacit is a lot more difficult to share, it is experience based! An example of tacit versus explicit knowledge is riding a bicycle. Explicit knowledge is knowing that you sit on the seat, steer the handlebars and peddle, but the tacit knowledge is what you have when you’ve learned to ride the bike and it becomes natural. Anyone that has ever taught someone to ride a bike will know just how difficult this is to teach to others.

So what? Why do I need to worry about tacit and explicit knowledge?

Every year companies lose millions of pounds, and countless hours because they don’t manage their knowledge correctly! Every time a member of staff leaves an organisation they walk out with reams of tacit knowledge that is difficult to replace. Every time someone fails to document a customer’s preferences or the best way to fix something, someone has to learn that knowledge again from scratch. Every time someone is off sick and is the only person who knows how to stop the printer doing that annoying thing, the company loses hours of productivity. You get my point!

What’s the best way to ensure these scenarios are minimised?

Most people have heard of Wikipedia. If you haven’t, you can check it out here: Wikipedia.org
Wikipedia is the most famous example of a Wiki, with Wikileaks running closely behind, but a Wiki isn’t exclusive to these 2 big wigs. In fact, anyone can have one and if you are in a company that requires a lot of knowledge sharing then Wiki’s are the perfect vehicle!

My dissertation discussed various options for sharing knowledge, from document shares to emails, and none proved as successful as the tool I discovered not long after I handed in my thesis. The Wiki!

Why the Wiki?

The support team I work with created a Wiki which allows everyone to add content easily and in a structured manner. It stores everything from important contact details, to server details, to guides on how to fix certain errors. Every time we learn a new piece of knowledge or see something for the first time, we document it. Now when anyone leaves, or goes on holiday, or is off sick, we know we have as much knowledge as we need on the shared Wiki! It’s easy to update and easy to navigate. You can search for keywords and you can set different levels of access so you always know who has added what. They can be set up internally or externally, so internal teams can use them or they can be accessed remotely for teams to share nationally or internationally!

If you work somewhere, or are a member somewhere, that could do with a central hub of knowledge and information, then a Wiki is the way forward. Why not give one a go?