Knowledge sharing paves the road to success wherein effective collaboration is needed between different organizational facets for meeting some common objectives. The benefits of knowledge sharing can be rightly understood in terms of feelings of recognition gained by the internal people on account of gaining access to needed information and know-how. Moreover, sharing of knowledge involving the transfer of knowledge from more experienced to less experienced people also contributes to enhancing organizational productivity and performance as a whole. The above aspects are dealt with in-depth as under.
Sharing my knowledge with others makes me more successful
In this age of information, I strongly feel that sharing knowledge or information gained by an individual with others ideally contributes to mutual value creation. Below noted are the reasons why I tend to feel that sharing my knowledge with others would make me more successful.
Feel-Good Factor
I tend to feel very good and excited about learning that the information that I had shared with others contributed to helping and serving them. The understanding gained thereof makes me feel highly exalted. It also helps in motivating me to share further knowledge and information with the needed ones.
Ripple Effect of Kindness
The rippling effect of kindness serves as the trickling down factor as one tends to start sharing knowledge with others thereby influencing them to go on sharing the same with further people. Thus, sharing helps in the spreading of knowledge.
Peer Knowledge helps in growing professional efficiency
It has been experienced that all types of information pertaining to diverse aspects cannot be had from external sources. Here, the action of peers is noted for spreading quality knowledge and information to the target masses such that it helps in developing professional efficiency.
The immense growth of personal networks
As I started sharing different types of know-how and information based on the application of social networks the same contributed to the enhancement of personal networks. The ones interested in getting access to quality information tend to visit my blogs or enter into a friendship network with me. The above aspects contribute to the enhancement of personal networks. The development of effective networks between people contributes to the generation of stronger bonds and connections.
Sharing of knowledge leads to emerging opportunities
The more one focuses on sharing experiential knowledge and needed know-how the greater is the scope of identifying the person as a potential expert in the respective fields. It thereby leads to the scope of getting access to emerging employment opportunities as consultants or trainers. One can also be a professional consultant or trainer on his own.
Sharing of knowledge also helps in Self Learning
The practice of sharing information and knowledge in a mutual manner ideally helps in the enhancement of self-learning by earning different knowledge tips. Gaining knowledge tips helps in updating one’s existing know-how and thereby contributes to excelling in the professional field.
Types of knowledge sharing
Knowledge sharing is identified as the dissemination of knowledge from or by one institution, organizational team, or on a personal level to another like participant or category. The eight different modes of knowledge sharing are identified as follows:
Mentoring
In terms of mentoring an experienced person aims at sharing required information to a person or community having no or very less amount of needed experience. The act of mentoring involves providing guidance, sharing needed know-how and skills.
Coaching
Coaching is identified to be an aspect of leadership wherein the performance of an individual or team stands out to be accountable. Coaching is also evaluated to be a common process for transferring different types of tacit knowledge like leadership and interpersonal skills and also physical abilities. The customer service coach focuses on providing coaching to the customer service staff involved in retailing and hospitality service for generating greater productivity and performance.
Training
Training is identified as an educational process that is involved in transferring needed knowledge and skills for application in diverse areas. The training is provided for also enhancing the skill base and productivity of underperformers in different teams.
Mastery Training
Mastery is identified to be an approach associated with both education and training wherein a participant is required to achieve complete mastery over one particular skill before moving over to other advanced skills. In cases, wherein different roles are required to be played for accomplishing a specific job set the members are required to acquire effective mastery over a specific role and perform likely before moving over to the next role.
On-the-Job Training (OJT)
OJT is identified as an effective process based on which an individual tends to learn the knickknacks of a profession, skill, or a specific role through the involvement of needed guidance and oversight. As the name suggests OJT is rendered to an employee while performing the job or work process.
Presentations and Documentations
Presentations and Documentations are identified to be an Off-the-Job training mode wherein information is presented in the form of texts, visuals, audios, and videos to the employees based on their areas of interest and performance. The information is rendered in the form of storytelling and audio-visuals for helping in engaging the target audience.
Sharing knowledge with team members
The set of best practices for sharing knowledge and information with team members is identified as follows:
Sharing of knowledge needs to be made consistently
The sharing of knowledge among the team members contributes to the development of ‘Collective Intelligence’. The sharing of effective knowledge ideally contributes to the utilization of potential knowledge resources. The sharing of quality knowledge resources ideally contributes to the generation of potential advantages like reduction of manufacturing costs, faster completion of project activity, enhanced team performance and innovation capabilities of the firm, and also growth in sales revenue associated with sales of products and services.
Sharing of relevant information
As firsthand information, it is required to understand the information and knowledge needs of the target audience based on the conducting of survey or interviews. The knowledge gained thereof rightly helps in evaluating the knowledge and information that requires to be both assimilated and disseminated for enhancing the needed productivity and performance potential of the target masses.
Generation of updated information
A knowledge-sharing portal needs to be designed such that the same contribute to helping the staff to gain access to updated information about the required operational, product, and organizational information. The gaining of updated information rightly helps the staff to be at pace with the changing business and institutional environment. It would also help in motivating the personnel in generating greater sales and business revenue.
Enhancing the level of transparency and accessibility
The practice of making day-to-day knowledge and information accessible to the interested parties rightly helps in enhancing the level of transparency regards to the firm. The growth in the level of transparency potentially contributes in enhancing the aspect of organizational citizenship among the staff and thus triggers needed productivity.
Leveraging technological growth
Potential technological applications like Skype, Trello, Slack and Google Docs among a few along with internal Learning Management Systems (LMS) are effectively leveraged for transmission of knowledge to target audiences.
Knowledge Sharing in B-Schools
Business schools around the world have rightly acknowledged the benefits of knowledge sharing. The sharing of knowledge resources is observed by the business schools to potentially contribute to the development of skill sets, teamwork, management, and leadership abilities in students and also help in the development of an innovative and growth culture. In the ‘New Normal’ scenario, the development of e-learning platforms is carried out to motivate the students for continuing their learning in an asynchronous manner.
The Case of Globsyn Business School
Over the last two decades, Globsyn Business School (GBS) based in Kolkata has uniquely positioned itself as India’s only ‘Corporate B-School’. Since its very inception, GBS has had a highly dedicated knowledge cell constituted by academicians that are continually carrying out research regarding emerging trends and also best practices in the field of management education. The knowledge cell team of GBS also manages the Learning Management System (LMS) eGlobsynthrough which it encourages the students in gaining access to different course materials, take assessments, and also gain updated information about emerging learning trends and the institution at large.
The discussion carried out potentially reflects not only on the benefits of knowledge sharing but also on the different types of knowledge sharing modes. It also indicates the activity undertaken by the business schools for promoting the sharing of knowledge among interested parties and stakeholders.