Knowledge Retention & Transfer: What You Need to Know February 7, 2012 Jay Liebowitz, D.Sc.

1. Knowledge Retention & Transfer: What You Need to Know February 7, 2012 Jay Liebowitz, D.Sc. Orkand Endowed Chair in Management and Technology The Graduate School University of Maryland University College jliebowitz@umuc.edu

4. Intelligent Research Networks & Next Generation KM(John Brisbin/Chris Day) “Networks are where the knowledge lives and grows” “Management is about optimizing the network rules” “Innovation DEMANDS networks”

5. Strategic Intelligence “Drives Innovation” BI KM STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE CI

6. Strategic Intelligence BI= Learner-Enabled (e.g.,E-Learning, Analytics, SN) KM= Knowledge-Enabled (e.g., KR&T; SN) STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE CI= Community-Enabled (External/ Competitor)—e.g., SN

7. What is Knowledge Management? PEOPLE PROCESS Systematically Capturing and Sharing Critical Knowledge Building and Nurturing a Knowledge Sharing Culture TECHNOLOGY Creating a Unified Knowledge Network

8. “Leaders Know How to Make the Most of Knowledge Management”(September 9, 2009, Credit Union Times) Society of Human Resource Management study (April 2009): Organizations that optimize knowledge management are leaders in their fields. “While some firms may view knowledge management as nice to have, proactive organizations see it as a key component of an effective business plan.”

9. The KM Journey

10. Similar to Desert Types Hot and Dry Semiarid Coastal Cold

11. Liebowitz, J. and T. Beckman (2008), “Moving Towards a K3M…”, Advances in MIS: Knowledge Management (I. Becerra and D. Leidner, Eds.), M.E. Sharpe Publishers, April.

12. The Ripple Effect

13. You Don’t Want to be Alone

14. The Key to KM: Building Bridges Across Isolated Islands

15. 4 Pillars of a Human Capital Strategy Human Capital KM=Knowledge Mgt. CM=Competency Mgt. PM=Performance Mgt. CGM=Change Mgt. C G M KM C M P M KM=Knowledge Mgt. CM=Competency Mgt. PM=Performance Mgt. CGM=Change Mgt.

17. i4cp KR Survey (426 organizations responded) • Over 77% of the organizations don’t have an owner for KR initiatives

18. Pillars of KR(Liebowitz, J. (2009), Knowledge Retention: Strategies and Solutions, Auerbach Publishing) • Recognition and Reward Structure • Bi-directional Knowledge Flow (bottom-up and top-down) • Personalization and Codification (“connections” and “collection”) • The Golden Gem (bringing back talented retirees into the organization via contractors, consultants, retiree & alumni association, ready pool of retired experts)

19. What is Being Done from a KM Perspective? • Expertise (yellow pages) locators • Online communities of practice • Lessons learned/best practice systems • Knowledge sharing forums • Mentoring programs • Job Rotation • Job Shadowing • Creative Learning/Leadership Groups • KM Working Groups/KM Officers/HC Officers/CHCOs/Knowledge Stewards • Online, web-based searchable video/knowledge repositories • Knowledge Fairs/Knowledge Exchanges/Birds of a Feather Meetings • Organizational narratives/storytelling/case studies • Knowledge-based/expert/agent-based/intelligent systems • Intranets/shared drives 19

23. ESA

24. KM Objectives Within the ESA Operations Teams Identify and capture core knowledge across missions and generations Facilitate knowledge and operational experience sharing Improve community process

25. Knowledge Sharing Tenets for Success • Enhance reward and recognition system to include learning and knowledge sharing competencies • Acquaint people with knowledge sharing and its benefits • Share the message that with creativity comes failure and we all benefit from talking about our successes and our failures • Integrate knowledge sharing into everyone’s job • Educate people about what types of knowledge are valuable and how they can be used • Make sure the technology works for people, not vice versa

26. Lessons Learned • It is easier to apply KM strategies that fit an organization’s culture than to first change the organizational culture and then apply KM • Don’t try to do everything at once • Apply KM to the core competencies of the organization to show value-added benefits • There will always be skeptics of anything • Don’t put the cart before the horse

27. The Informal Organization(Katzenbach Partners, 2007) “Yet, in most corporate settings, the informal organization is poorly understood, poorly managed, and often disregarded as inconsequential.”

28. 5 Signs Your Informal Organization is Alive and Well [Katzenbach Partners, 2007] • The Word Gets Out Fast • “Change” Isn’t a Dirty Word • Collaboration is the Default Mode • Employees are Tapped In • Stories Demonstrate Values

29. “Learning Gets Social”(T. Bingham, T&D) ASTD and i4cp conducted research on informal learning: 98% of those surveyed say that informal learning enhances employee performance However, 36% dedicated no money to informal learning and 78% dedicated 10 percent or less of the training budget to it Web 2.0 Study (ASTD/i4cp/Booz Allen): only a small minority of companies are using Web 2.0 technologies in learning

30. The Value of Social Networking • Networks of informal relationships have a critical influence on work and innovation • Research shows that appropriate connectivity in well-managed networks within organizations can have a substantial impact on performance, learning, and innovation • facebook.com, myspace.com, LinkedIn.com

31. Basic Steps to Performing a SNA • Determine your unit of study • Develop the relationships/dimensions to be used • Create & disseminate your web-based survey instrument (pilot, then field) • Apply SNA software tools (e.g., NetMiner, UCINet-Netdraw) to help with the analysis and visualization • Report results • Perform a post-audit 6-12 months after the intervention

35. Net Team Layout by Generation

36. Node Types by Area

37. Importance of Cross-Generational Knowledge Flows “Generational differences significantly impact employee attitudes and outcomes in the workplace. If firms are unable to modify their cultures and work environments to adequately meet the needs of their younger generation employees, they will continue to experience high levels of dissatisfaction and turnover.” Westerman, J. and J. Yamamura (2007), “Generational preferences for work environment fit: effects on employee outcomes”, Career Development Int. Journal, 12(2), Emerald.

38. Main Areas of Research Tacit Knowledge Flows Intergenerational Biases Edge Organizations

39. Summary of the Findings Important as critical success factors for cross-generational knowledge flows: Shared understanding refers to having a mutual conveyance and agreement of ideas that are shared between two parties. Reciprocity refers to being willing to share one’s knowledge because given a similar situation, the knowledge recipient would share

40. Summary of the Findings (cont.) Intrinsic worth of knowledge refers to the value and merit of the knowledge being conveyed. A subset of overlapping values to reduce generational gaps is also important to lead to a common, shared understanding. Convenient knowledge transfer mechanisms need to exist for cross-generational knowledge flows so that “user adoption” will be enhanced. These knowledge transfer mechanisms could be either codified or personalized approaches to sharing knowledge. Interpersonal trust and respect for each other will enhance knowledge sharing as well. Knowledge sharing was more likely to occur with individuals with pro-social traits--that is, people concerned more about the group collective goals versus individual agendas

41. Future Trends in KM Methodologies ROI on KM; KM Metrics Socio-technical approaches to KM (e.g., SNA/ONA/VNA) Learning from others (taking complementary approaches and integrating them for KM) KM Governance (Formal strategies and ownership needed for KR, KM, HC, etc.)

42. Concluding Comments Techniques like SNA can provide added insights into the grapevine effect and can facilitate innovation and informal learning Cross-generational knowledge flows and knowledge retention & transfer will become increasingly important to organizations E-Learning will continue to play an important role for stimulating learning and creativity Governments need to think about creating “knowledge cities” with universities as urban innovation centers These areas will add to macro and micro strategic intelligence

43. Final Thought Scott Anthony’s “The Silver Lining: An Innovation Playbook for Uncertain Times” (Harvard Business Press, 2009): “The biggest silver lining for innovation is that the scarcity that is sure to result from the current economic climate is actually a good thing for innovation.”

44. Thank you… Any questions?