Knowledge silos are like their nuclear counterparts – threatening, dangerous, and ultimately useless; something a knowledge-based economy can ill-afford. They are popular though and (again like their nuclear cousins) often used as bargaining chips in all forms of organization. In a corporate environment though, they can be particularly lethal.
For the purposes of this post, let’s call anything that blocks the distribution, sharing, repurposing and/or utilization of knowledge, a knowledge silo. So somebody who knows everything but refuses to share it with those who can benefit from it, is a silo. An information system, be it digital or otherwise, that prohibits, or in some way, makes it difficult for users to access the information and put it to good use, is a silo. The list could go on – you get the drift.
So a knowledge silo by its very definition is not very useful; but is it dangerous? In the knowledge economy it is. Knowledge is nourished by flow; in a silo it becomes fetid like still water, and if called upon some day to serve a purpose, will raise the stench of obsolescence. And inadequate or outdated knowledge is far worse than having none at all. What can an organization do to prevent the formation of silos?
As noted in an earlier post, it helps to have a culture that makes it "unacceptable not to share what you know." This is different from rewarding it. That is likely to encourage sharing of spurious or trivial knowledge. Sharing what you know has to become second nature, an integral part of the workflow, just as it is to manage accounts, meet clients, develop business, and keep books.
Next it’s imperative to make it easy to share knowledge. The means are in abundance, most of them are free and really easy to use. Pick those which are easiest to integrate into your workflow. And there doesn’t have to be a standard. Some might prefer to blog, others, "delicious" what they have read, some others might create a vlog, yet others would prefer to comment on someone else’s posts. In such environments, aggregators like Artiklz are a great help. Tools like Google Sites can be used as knowledge interchanges as well.
Third, make what people have shared easy to find. Exposure is critical. A little known rivulet in mountain high up somewhere may have the freshest of water, but till it gains volume and descends on the plains it doesn’t have much utility. Publicizing the content, encouraging active and mass participation (even at the risk of diluting a little quality) is essential in making all that sharing work for your organization.
Break down those silos and may great ideas come from all over!
