Sachin D. Chaudhari

Tribal Knowledge base is a 'commodity' for any organization and is typically known to unit heads/ project managers or even to HR people. However, there is a lenient approach towards unlocking such knowledge base, out of the fear that, the resources involved might leave the organization or will ask for a compensation, if s/he becomes aware of his knowledge. However there are many ways by which this knowledge can be unlocked. Listing out some below: Documentation of all the activities effectively – per my experience, documentation typically evolves over a period of time according to the user inputs and it helps capture the tribal knowledge, when someone checks the process capability through Audit/ Assessment etc. smaller details that may have been missed during documenting process, get exposed during such exercise. However this is a time consuming process and involves efforts Testing training material/ new products through the most seasoned/ experienced employees – this shall be done religiously since this really helps get insights to the problems/ challenges that a product/ service might face. Typically, the hands-on experience/ knowledge come handy since many operational aspect/ elements do not get exposed, or even considered at planning / testing phase. Seasoned professionals typically show a tendency of criticizing the new product/ service, out of which they typically give insightful recommendations – of course in the form of critical comments. Another typical reaction is they are very excited to see the new development, since they find it useful for effort reduction. & they suggest improvements. In both cases, the ‘Tribal Knowledge” is utilized. I myself have used this technique effectively and extensively in multiple change management initiatives Training – Using experienced professionals in induction training or functional training programs. Certain employees know the job too well and typically knows tips and tricks about organization that no one else know. These employees can get the things done easily and faster. By identifying such employees for training purpose, Organization as well as new employees gains out of their experience. Another byproduct is, through training programs, camaraderie is build between trainer and trainees, through which an organization stands to gain, since after the session, the participants directly approach the trainer in an informal setup, which further helps transfer knowledge.

6. All – A, B, C, D, E, and F