Knowledge retention
Definition
Knowledge retention is
Description
Knowledge Retention addresses the case of knowledge leaving the organization. For some organizations this is a more serious problems than for others. Knowledge leaves organizations for many reasons, although for many organizations the problem is an ageing/retiring workforce and the need to identify what knowledge needs to be retained within the organization, but knowledge leaves because of lay-offs and normal staff turn-over too.
It is not necessary to save all of the knowledge that exists within an organization, although some people want to, but some knowledge is transient and/or not critical to the organization's operations, so trying to save it all creates overload, noise, and confusion. It is much better to review the knowledge and make an assessment of what is critical vs. non-critical and routine vs. non-routine, then a decision can be made as to how to best deal with retaining it (or not).
For this reason it is important to assess the organization's knowledge along two axes: Time needed to transfer knowledge, and Time needed.
Related Articles
Ageing Workforce, Retention. Retention Plan