Today while I walked by the Coca-Cola factory again (see Sharing Knowledge is not exclusive for Tech Companies) on my way to work, I spotted a sign just inside the enterance:
Beware of accidents
Last Accident: 9 days ago
Longest Streak without accident: 192 days
Those are pretty strong, I think. To be reminded that only 9 days ago somebody got hurt, one of your colleagues maybe? And seeing different numbers on that sign every day makes the message really repetitive. I am sure this is more effective to alert people than some guidelines hidden in a drawer about what to do to prevent accidents. It all comes down to awareness. I think awareness is a strong driver, and it is also a key behind making a knowledge flow programm successful. In fact missing KM awareness was named as the No.2 key barrier in a 1997 KM study done by the German Fraunhofer Institute. It it is also one of the barriers that turns out to be not that hard to fight.
Do your employees know that knowledge sharing activities are not only allowed within their activities, but that it is part of their core job to share their knowledge? Is it visibile that this is wanted behaviour or hidden in some policy document that nobody reads. Are top executives and line managers repeatedly expressing that it is wanted behavior that will help insure efficiency, innovation and competitiveness? Are those messages clear and easy digestible (i.e. backed with stories)?
To improve your knowledge flow most often it takes a culture shift and awareness is a good start to drive behavioural change. It is not the only driver, of course, but one of them, and it is one that you can implement fairly quickly without huge investments. Especially if the message comes from the top, it can definitely make a difference.
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