Giving your employees a piece of your mind

The need for new employees to get up to speed quickly has never been greater. Even established staff needs to be able to grasp new directions and processes faster than ever.

As a young man I once heard an established manager of many years say, “Common sense isn’t as common as you might think.” His words struck a chord with me as I sought to understand why common instructions to my work tasks were often inadequate, out of date or simply absent. While it didn’t occur to me at the time, what I was experiencing was the same thing that thousands of us have had to endure, a company that does not value knowledge.

 I have had the opportunity to observe some changes in knowledge management in the last 5 years that I can attribute significantly to the “Dot.Com” revolution.

• The first is that despite the advancements in technology, specifically in data capture and retrieval that         there appears to be little time spent using these systems for gathering and sharing information amongst            employees;

• The second is that there is a large assumption that you need a relatively sophisticated system if you want to share data in a sophisticated manner; T

• The third is that attention to business growth is so intense that managers will buy skills rather than try and develop them, especially if it’s a buyers’ market.

 Let me deal with each of these issues.

 There are only a few rules you need to implement to create a good information system. They are:

 1.    Keep only essential information, not “just in case” stuff;

2.    Keep as much of it on-line (backed up);

3.    Assign accountability for the company’s knowledge management system;

4.    Insist on a simple filing system (both on-line and off-line);

5.    Advertise its accessibility to everyone;

6.    Cull it once a quarter.

 Most of the issues regarding knowledge and information sharing revolve around these rules. If the system is poor, no one will use it. If it keeps irrelevant and out-of-date information, no one looks at it. If no one is given responsibility for it, no one will usually take responsibility for it. Considered information sharing does not just happen. Infrastructure must be established to allow the employees in your business the best opportunity to find out what they need. So what would you place in your information system? How about any of the following:

·         Company policies

·         Company templates

·         Sales material

·         Product descriptions

·         Job descriptions

·         Newsletters

·         Industry research

·         Telephone and email directories

·         Training materials

·         The contact details of employees considered expert in their field

·         Locations of relevant information.

 The assumption that you need a sophisticated system to get the best out of information sharing is quite untrue. Here’s a story that demonstrates why. I recall visiting the Harley Davidson production centre in up-state New York a couple of years ago. I met a burley employee responsible for tail assemblies. He told me he was the knowledge manager for all tail assemblies in the plant. As we talked, he explained to me how knowledge was managed inside the plant. Employees who were considered expert by their colleagues were tested by both staff and management to determine their level of proficiency. Those considered “expert” were given a pay rise and so “accredited”. To retain their accreditation (and pay rise), they had to be able to keep up to date in their area of expertise, and be ready to share it with anyone who asked.

 When I inquired as to how everyone knew whom to come to, he said they looked it up on the company’s knowledge management system. With that he pointed at a large piece of cardboard glued to a nearby wall with a large Texta matrix drawn on it. From where I was I could clearly see that Carl was indeed the tail assembly expert!

 The last concept that is based on logic that it’s easier to buy skills than develop them is often a falsehood. It might be true that you can buy certain technical skills rather than send someone off on a course. But most research out of the USA suggests that over 80% of all learning in connection with a job occurs on the job. The learning that you cannot “buy in” is usually the most important ones to a company. They include:

·          Fitting into the new team and understanding relationships;

·          Understanding how the new company operates;

·          Understanding the new language and currency of the company;

·          Customs and practices inherent in the new business;

·          The business’ combined previous experiences;

 There is a very good argument for the centralisation of information and knowledge in your company. It makes things easier, faster, safer and certainly less expensive. It can reach many in a single instance, yet only reach those who require it when they need it.

 For many reasons this all makes sense, and the investment (even when minor) returns so many advantages. But then again, my old manager might be right. Common sense may not be so common!