possibility…

Long-term employees, regardless of their job title, become “walking encyclopedias” of organizational information, job tips, short-cuts, political/personal hot potatoes to avoid, historical alliances, technology trial and error, and understanding of how and why things are as they are. When these workers leave an organization, a critical piece of history leaves with them. Losing tacit knowledge with retirees and others moving on to new positions has always been a concern but with the imminent wave of baby boomer retirements, it’s a potential crisis for some organizations.

I’m writing an in-depth article about the use of “story” in capturing knowledge from employees before they move on. If you’ve ever tried to write a “manual” to leave behind when you move to a new position, you are very familiar with the challenges of imparting ALL of what you know. Some say that knowledge is “social”… that we need to have conversations with others in order for it to come to the surface or to be transferred. We’ve all experienced the realization that we know much more that we thought we knew–that we can articulate knowledge in conversation that we could not have produced without the discussion.

While “story” may be an element of mentoring, coaching, and other approaches to knowledge exchange, I’m specifically interested in story as the primary technique. It may be used within a community of practice model, brown-bag lunch sessions, or exit interviews … or possibly many other scenarios. These are the types of situations I’m interested in hearing about.

A parallel interest is that features of organizational culture that encourage development and transfer of tacit knowledge (space and opportunity for conversation, valuing interpersonal communication and sharing of experiences, appreciation for individual experience and exploration) are also features that nurture creativity in the workplace. Is there recognition or acknowledgement of such a link within organizations nurturing tacit knowledge exchange? Is creativity recognized as a valuable by-product of “story as a tool for knowledge exchange”–or vice versa?

I’d be very interested in hearing from you if you have experience with this topic (on either side–as a leaving employee or as a facilitator) or if you know of organizations utilizing story for knowledge strategies with employees who are leaving.

Please contact me by email at shelley AT shourstonandassociates DOT com. Thanks for your help!