I had an interesting conversation the other day that sparked my curiosity even more than what it is now. We were discussing knowledge transfer, why we would want to do this, what it is, when should it happen, and how do we know if the knowledge has transferred.

So I decided to embark on a journey of sorts to find some answers to these questions. I realized that the roles had just changed from being the person that always asks the questions, to now being the person challenged with finding the answers.

Let’s first understand what knowledge transfer is. Knowledge can be in many different forms. It can be information that we learn from books, from searches on the internet or from training courses that we take. Knowledge can also be conceptual understandings of how things work; best practices, wisdom and insight; and contacts internal and external to the organization to name a few.

So now let’s answer the question – “why we would want to do this.” In order to do that though, I must ask some questions. Does your organization have an aging workforce who is all planning on leaving in the next few years? Do you have a concern that when they leave corporate knowledge will walk out the door with them? Does your organization now need to attract new talent, reduce costly turnovers, develop all your employees and prepare your future leaders of tomorrow?

The easy question to answer is “when should this happen?” If you can identify your organization with any of the questions I mentioned above then the answer to this question is “NOW.” You really do need to begin to think about a knowledge transfer strategy and work that into a succession development plan.

The remaining question we have to answer is how do we know if the knowledge has transferred? You should follow a process where you have documented what knowledge must transfer and when. You should use a form of assessment to test the knowledge base before and after the transfer of the knowledge seeker to determine if the knowledge has been transferred. All of this should be augmented with a formal mentoring program that will validate the application of the knowledge in real life situations.

The longer organizations delay this process, the more at risk they will be as their workforce continues to age and mass retirement is imminent.

Think of an organization where a large percentage of its key personnel have reached the age of retirement and have indicated that they are leaving in the next two to three years. When they walk out that door on the last day of their work, they take with them countless years of knowledge that your organization no longer will have access to. Does this scenario ring true for your organization?

I had posted an article back in January of this year that spoke about the need for succession planning or succession development as I prefer to call it. My rationale for that is we can create a plan for succession but we really do need to at the same time to create a development strategy. The development strategy of the successor is really the most important part of any succession planning process. I will elaborate on that part in future articles.

The development strategy or learning plan as some prefer to call it, addresses the gaps in the successor’s competencies required to be successful in the position. One of the most important elements that need to be considered is where is all the knowledge stored that this person will need in order to be successful. Is this knowledge stored in the incumbent’s head, documented on paper, stored in the organization’s computer system, or where ever else it may be?

So if your organization is one that is looking at a lot of retirements in the next few years you need to start thinking about a knowledge transfer strategy as part of your succession planning/development strategy. Don’t wait till the knowledge leaves the building!