Knowledge Continuity & Retention
Dr. Moria Levy
CEO, ROM Knowledgeware
www.kmrom.com
Avi Kedem
CKO, IAI- Israeli Aircraft Industries
www.iai.co.il
To Be Discussed
The Need
Methodology
The IAI Way
Summary
The Need
3
Why Is Knowledge Continuity an Issue?
"there is nothing new under the sun"
Ecclesiastes Chapter 1,9
4
 The “Baby Boom”
 An era of knowledge
There is a Need !!!
Houston we have a problem
5
It is Not That Trivial (I)
The knowledge in one’s brain is ENDLESS
6
It is Not That Trivial (II)
Managers are too busy with today’s tasks
7
It is Not That Trivial (III)
In order to be used, the knowledge has to be
readable and accessible
8
The Methodology
9
Redefining the Mission
Minimizing organizational business loss
10
Methodology
(
Preliminary stage
Deciding: who's knowledge to preserve
)
1
Scope Definition
2
Knowledge Transfer
3
Integration
Published in Journal of Knowledge Management, Vol 15. No. 4, 2011
11
Deciding Who's Knowledge to Preserve 0
TIP: do not put too much energy into this stage (~5%)
12
Scope: what should be preserved?
1
TIP I: be empathic working with the retiree
TIP II: prioritize. Ask- “SO WHAT?”
13
Knowledge Transfer
2
TIP I: structure the process
TIP II: structure the results (templates; structured wiki)
14
Integration into Organizational Environment 3
TIP: regard as most critical step
15
Methodology
(
Preliminary stage
Deciding: who's knowledge to preserve
)
1
Scope Definition
2
Knowledge Transfer
3
Integration
One more TIP: adjust to organizational characteristics
16
The IAI Way
17
Methodology in IAI
 Mapping processes and subjects
Scope Definition
 Prioritizing according to criticality
- Mapping
and complexity
Knowledge
Capturing &
Packaging
 Documenting
 Packaging
 Designing user friendly interface
Knowledge-base
 Building a performance support
Creation
knowledge-base
Integration  Embedding the knowledge into
the organization’s processes
 Reuse of the retained knowledge
18
Mapping & Prioritization
Scope Definition Mapping
Knowledge Capturing
& Packaging
Knowledge-base
Creation
Integration
19
Capturing & Packaging
Scope Definition Mapping
Knowledge Capturing
& Packaging
Knowledge-base
Creation
Integration
20
Designing & Building
Scope Definition Mapping
Knowledge Capturing
& Packaging
Knowledge-base
Creation
Integration
21
Who Is Involved?
 The retiring expert
 The future expert
 The process coordinator
 KM consultant
 Website developer
22
Time Investment
 Duration: 4-6 month (net)
 The expert, future expert: 6-10 hours a week each
23
Summary
24
Personal Insights (l)
 Why is Knowledge Continuity an issue? In the US and Canada 20%
of the total work force will leave this decade
 Minimizing organizational business loss: the estimated loss of
expert’s knowledge $100,000
 Are experts willing to share their knowledge?
 70% Yes - anytime
 20% Yes - a year plus before retirement
 10% No
25
Personal Insights (ll)
 Essential prerequisites for success of knowledge retention
 The experts: willingness to share their knowledge
 The future expert / team: willingness and desire to learn and share
 Manager: involvement in the process and support
(Managers are too busy with today’s tasks)
 Adjust the methodology implementation to organizational
characteristics
26
Knowledge Continuity
Existing team of experts
 Objective: sharing explicit knowledge in an existing team of
experts
 Process: very similar to the one used for retiring expert
 Mapping: processes & subjects related to team’s know-how
 Knowledge Capturing: related to several experts
 Emphasis: introducing a culture of constant sharing of
explicit and tacit knowledge
27
Discussion
28
Knowledge Continuity & Retention
Thank You
Speakers:
Dr. Moria Levy
CEO, ROM Knowledgeware
moria@kmrom.com
Avi Kedem
CKO, IAI- Israeli Aircraft Industries
akedem@gmail.com