Human Resources

Knowledge Management: Transfer Of Knowledge (B)

What are the knowledge management and the knowledge transfer? Who should be responsible for the knowledge transfer? 

Posted: Apr 2010

Knowledge management is the important aspect of the company. Process of accumulation of knowledge and experience is long and complex. In order to make it effective it is necessary to conduct a proper knowledge transfer plan.

The knowledge transfer can be focused to the new employee. Also, the knowledge transfer can have the goal to train the employee from another position, with purpose of succession planning. 

Every position within the company has its own complexity. No matter what is the position requirement, there is a certain needed for training of the person at the position. On top of the base training, there is experience factor as well. In order to have proper successor planning there is a strong need of having knowledge transfer plan. Knowledge transfer plan enables the new person on the position to acquire the new knowledge. The good knowledge transfer plan enables faster progress on the learning and experience curve of the new person on the position.

Knowledge Transfer Plan should have three important elements:

• Induction plan that is giving the framework of required training topics within the specific period of time. The induction plan should describe the training period, with time schedule of specific topics.

• Training manuals set should contain the documentation ( e-materials and/or printed materials ) for every module within the induction curriculum. Every training manual should explain process of the activities, with explanation of all process steps.

• Knowledge Transfer Mentor for specific training area. Obviously the most suitable person for mentorship can be the person from the same position, since that person is having the most experience on that position. But since person who may be leaving might have different levels of motivation for proper mentorship, it is necessary to think about the back up person from the same department as well. 

Knowledge Transfer Documentation should contain the material for all process activities, described by the Induction plan. The material should be easy-to-understand description of the activities. 

The best combination is mix of pictures and text explanation. For example, the collection of “Print Screen” pictured arranged in Power Point presentation with textual explanation of the process of specific software is the good example of document that provides proper transfer knowledge (see example below).

Successor planning is the HR initiative of planning and training of potential successors for specific position. Succession planning is not the automatic promotion for the trainee, but is contingency planning for case of position vacancy. Therefore, knowledge transfer is not meant for vacancy situations only, but also as preparation for potential vacancies.

The knowledge transfer can be also the objective of Individual Development Plans ( IDP ). The knowledge transfer can be set as an objective of IDP's owner. For example, the IDP owner can be given the task to prepare the set of training materials for potential new employees or employees moved from one position to another.