INNOVATION September-October 2014

be housed in databases that are kept current through contributions from those with the knowledge. These databases may include project experience, lessons learned and other easily captured knowledge. Planning to capture explicit knowledge before it is lost is a fairly straightforward step, but it does take time and resources. The tougher process is how to transfer the tacit knowledge. How are projects assessed, decisions made, solutions identified or other actions taken within your organization that require judgment and cognitive skills that, in many cases, are applied without conscious awareness? How does someone transfer this knowledge when he or she is not even conscious of applying it? Coaching, mentoring, participating in communities of practice, exploring lessons learned and having oppor- tunities to work on challenging projects with experts are some of the ways that the transfer can take place. Those that possess the knowledge must be willing and rewarded for sharing. The culture must be such that people don’t feel threatened sharing what they know. Achieving a receptive culture and an effective reward system for knowledge transfer doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, effort, persistence and continual improve- ment to be successful. To recap, here are some suggestions for retaining and growing your strategic knowledge: • Include an assessment of knowledge needs and a knowledge gap analysis in your strategic planning process. • Identify those who possess the knowledge your organization requires to sustain itself. • Set a strategic objective to address your organiza- tion’s knowledge gaps. • Plan a strategic initiative to support the objective that includes a champion, timeline, budget, a means to measure progress and accountability for results. • Develop or refine your organization’s policies, pro- cedures and processes to capture explicit know-how. • Develop databases to capture explicit knowledge, if appropriate. • Include reviews at the end of every project to ex- plore lessons learned and share the findings. • Train leaders and knowledge-owners how to coach, mentor and share their knowledge. • Provide challenging opportunities that allow people to stretch and grow their capability. • Create and support communities where people, who share an interest or passion for a practice area or expertise, can collaborate to share and grow their knowledge. • Reward knowledge-sharing behaviour. • Make knowledge the capital that sustains your organization for the longer term.

How prepared is your organization? When experts leave or retire from your organization, will you lose the encyclopedia of what they know or will you continue to have and use the knowledge you require to serve your clients and achieve your strategy? v Marg Latham, P.Eng., CMC,

is president of Aqua Libra Consulting Ltd. She is a seasoned senior executive, pro- fessional engineer and certified management consultant with a passion for leading people and change. Latham was vice president with consulting engi- neering firms, UMA and later AECOM Canada Ltd., from 2000 to 2009. She has been as- sisting APEGBC in developing and implementing the OQM Program since early 2011.

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