Knowledge Leakage: The Destructive Impact of Failing to Train on ERP Projects by Cushing Anderson.
Abstract:
This IDC study refines the concept of knowledge leakage and the factors that compound and mitigate the impact of knowledge leakage on an IT organization. It also suggests strategies for IT management to reduce the impact of knowledge leakage on organizational performance.
There is a silent killer in every IT organization — knowledge leakage. IT organizations are in a constant state of flux. The IT environment, the staff, and the organizational goals change continuously. At the same time, organizational performance must be as high as possible, but the impact of changing staff and skill leakage can cause 50% of an IT organization’s skills to be lost in six years.
“Knowledge leak is the degradation of skills over time, and it occurs in every organization, every time. It doesn’t discriminate based on operating system or platform, but it can kill organizational performance in as little as a couple of years.” — Cushing Anderson, vice president, IT Education and Certification research
I don’t have an IDC account so I can’t share with you what goodies may be inside this article.
I do think that “knowledge leakage” is a good synonym for “organizational memory.” Or should that be “organizational memory loss?”
I also don’t think that “knowledge leakage” is confined to IT organizations.
Ask the nearest supervisor that has had a long time administrative assistant retire. That’s real “knowledge leakage.”
The problem with capturing organizational knowledge, the unwritten rules of who to ask, for what and when, is that such rules are almost never written down.
And if they were, how would you find them?
Let me leave you with a hint:
The user writing down the unwritten rules needs to use their vocabulary and not one ordained by IT or your corporate office. And they need to walk you through it so you can add your vocabulary to it.
Or to summarize: Say it your way. Find it your way.
If you are interested, you know how to contact me.