1. Learning and Knowledge Sharing Techniques
The Nonaka and Takeuchi model of knowledge creation
highlights the importance of sharing knowledge when
building a learning organisation. This handout identifies the
four main methods that are being used by knowledge
managers to ensure that knowledge is transferred effectively.
Intranet
Many organisations have developed company intranets as a means of sharing
knowledge and information with employees. An effective intranet will address
knowledge sharing from the point of view of potential users, rather than the
organisational structure.
Typically, intranets will include information on every subject that employees
might need, including: policy, ongoing company projects, information about
competitors, employee details and future initiatives.
Many advanced intranets also provide organisations with a delivery
mechanism to enhance employee learning directly by providing convenient
access to a huge variety of training materials, interventions and information.
Face to Face
Meetings provide organisations with a valuable method for sharing informal
and formal knowledge and information. Typically, informal and formal
knowledge cascades down from senior teams and heads of departments via
meetings and informal networks across departments.
Another similar means of ensuring that employees remain informed is
departmental and organisational briefing sessions. These formal sessions
involve passing on of knowledge to a gathering of relevant individuals from
the organisation. Briefings can also be ‘cascaded’ to ensure the knowledge is
transferred to the relevant areas of the organisation.
Roadshows can be an effective method of transferring knowledge whereby a
specialist, team or department delivers a presentation to staff around the
various sites in their organisation. They can reinforce a particular message
and exchange a cross-flow of information.
An away-day or all staff conference can be designed to transfer knowledge
and develop new, innovative ideas. They have the added advantage of
improving networking between teams and the socialising element can be
invaluable helping to build relationships with colleagues.
Written documents and reports

2. Despite the modern proliferation of digital communication, many organisations
still share a large proportion information using paper documents.
Usually, this takes the form of company reports/handbooks and
team/department manuals, designed to make sure that employees have a
uniform level of knowledge on certain key topics. For example, an HR
department might produce a document for ensuring an efficient and uniform
approach to communication with other departments. Another example might
be a company newsletter or magazine.
Increasingly, these documents are also being posted on company intranets to
replace the hard copies versions, as they are easier and cheaper to maintain.
TV/Video/Web casts
Many larger organisations use TV and video footage to share knowledge.
Those with many offices are able to transfer information to remote employees
simultaneously using TV link-ups. Today, web casts to departments and entire
organisations are becoming more prevalent.
Videos can also provide another medium through which to transfer knowledge
and have been proven to provide effective re-usable training materials.
Some consider TV/video and web casts to be more effective media for
transferring certain types of knowledge than the text-based solutions
described above.