Lost Knowledge Does Not Have To Be Lost

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Within the last six months, I have had conversations with two different friends who have "retired."  Both people worked for Fortune 500 companies in different parts of the country.  I was intrigued with some of their comments and I could relate.  In fact, I wrote an article about lost knowledge Download BR Knowledge Walking Out Door last spring and they were reinforcing much of what I wrote and actually how I also felt making my transition.

Both of these friends had worked for the same organization for several decades and both had been successful.  I will call them "Dick" and "Jane" to protect their confidence.  Jane worked in a bank and told me that so much of her effectiveness was based on relationships she had developed with clients over the years.  When she left, she was surprised that no one asked her for advice, tips, or trade secrets.  She had records and files kept on clients and no one asked her anything.  Does this make sense?

"Dick" told me that when he decided to leave, he could not believe that no one really asked him anything.  He had been making significant decisions for many years and much of this was based on close relationships with customers and clients.  Again, no one asked for his advice or asked him to write standard operating procedures (SOPs). 

Likewise, I had spent 30 years trying to perfect the art of teaching.  Even after writing a book on teaching and learning and attending professional conferences for years where the focus is on how to become a more effective teacher, I was still tweaking courses based on student feedback.  I would have been so willing to conduct a workshop for newer faculty members on what I had learned from three decades of experience, but no one asked.  I almost felt as though I owed it to the institution since my expenses had been paid to learn, yet no one asked. 

I plan to continue to attend the Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference (OBTC) because of the emphasis on teaching and learning.  It has been the best conference for me to learn about facilitation, student engagement, and interaction.  It would have been so easy to put together a faculty workshop, regardless of discipline, for anyone who is committed to enhancing learning.  In fact, it would have been nice to either have the faculty members who were "retiring" to each conduct a workshop (if desired) or to have a panel discussion where we share best practices. 

But this did not happen.  Knowledge was lost when Dick, Jane, and I walked out the door.  What continues to amaze me was that no one seemed to care about the lost knowledge.  I know I was a better teacher as I gained more experience, attended teaching conferences, and learned from others. 

Are you better at what you do now? 

What have you learned that you could share with others? 

What do you know from which others would benefit? 

How could your knowledge be shared? 

It seems so logical that we would want to capture the knowledge in some way.  Instead, it seems that the common practice is to let the knowledge walk out the door and this makes no sense to me.  If I were one of the leaders in the organization, I would change this practice.  I would make people realize how important they are to the organization and I want them to share their insights, advice, and wisdom with everyone else who would benefit.

What do you think?  Doesn't everyone win if we try to listen to the wisdom of the sages?

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• Wisdom, Knowledge, & Information: What's the Diff? (markingtime4now.wordpress.com)

Comments

[Jane]

I wonder if companies expect that you were sharing your knowledge and insights all along?

[Jann Freed]

I can see your point Jane, but most of the things I share in teaching are with students. What I learned about the art of teaching just went with me. And I learned so much over the years about effective teaching that could be shared regardless of discipline. Oh well. I take the knowledge with me wherever I go and share it as much as possible.

[Jane]

I bet all the school districts could benefit from your knowledge - they have professional development - why not reach out to a district or two and see if there is interest? Just an idea?

From a district or college/university point of view - they probably want to enlist seminars or wisdom sharing but don't know where to find it - they might expect people to go to them instead of them asking you.

This is just my advertising background talking - you could do a mass mailing to all the local school districts/universities/colleges and send them information about what you can provide.

[Jude]

Before I retired from my Fortune-500 company, I spent six months writing a how-to book for the people in my department who were going to take over my duties. But, as you stated Jann, it was not because I was asked to do it; I insisted on it.

And, as it turned out, management was so thankful they made it a requirement for future retirees. I think they had just accepted the fact that "knowledge walks out the door" and did not realize just how well documented details, shortcuts, procedures, and tricks could smooth out the transition.

[Jann Freed]

Thanks for sharing that story. It makes so much sense to me that you feel valued leaving knowledge behind for others and the company benefits from the knowledge and especially the people who are left there and need it! Thanks for reading.