Navigating Knowledge Management

A wealth of information awaits the company that listens closely. You can collect feedback from employees and customers alike, plus intelligence around every corner if you have an open enough perspective. But gathering such information is only half the battle: how you manage the knowledge you’ve gained is what winds up having a real effect on how the business runs.

There are a few pitfalls and roadblocks to look out for along the way. You may be imagining that external issues are going to be the hardest barriers to surmount when it comes to knowledge management success, but that is frequently not the case. What hang-ups you come across, surprisingly, are often related to internal company workings.

For instance, your management may not want to invest in the appropriate technology. This is a huge holdup when it comes to information processing, because it’s very appealing to believe that your associates or agents can handle the job themselves. The mentality goes like this: “We’re a self-sufficient company, why spend money on extras when we can just work a bit harder?” The answer is that hard work doesn’t always equal success. Knowledge management is a deeply researched, heavily skilled category, and acquiring the proper technology to capture and make use of your company’s knowledge will not only save time, but in the end, save money as well.

Another frequently faced internal issue comes along with employee motivation. Some are unwilling to expand their knowledge or share what they know in case it will lead to more work for them. This mentality comes from a misconception about spreading information. It can seem like the more you put out there, as an employee, the more will be required of you. But with a successful knowledge base, created with full cooperation of your team from the ground up, everyone involved will wind up having a decrease in responsibility and an increase in reliable, accurate information at their fingertips.

Other issues to look out for include interdepartmental disputes about the way that a knowledge management system is deployed, reticence about the usefulness or necessity of a knowledge management system, general distrust of new or innovative items, and other similar points of contention.

The important part is to stay focused. Creating and maintaining a successful knowledge management system will make experts of your employees, no matter if they have been around for years or are just starting out. The influence of having a reliable knowledge management system will ensure that your team can produce accurate, influential, satisfactory results in a reasonable amount of time, every time they are asked. All it takes is a little planning ahead.

You can do it, but PhaseWare can make it easy. The proper planning will take you a long way, but the right technology (and the right expertise) will ensure your success!

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