Employee knowledge is a 'key asset' says report

Organisation's need to be much more systematic in the way they capture knowledge that their employees possess, but do not necessarily share.

This was the key message in a report, Managing Knowledge Workers: The HR dimension, launched on Monday February 25, by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

The CIPD report shows that employers need to work harder at encouraging employees to share their knowledge, and ensuring that key know-how isn’t lost when workers leave.

The report gives practical examples of how to manage knowledge workers, highlighting the importance of autonomy, challenging work and sharing in the creation of organisational values. It also examines ways that organisations have taken a more inclusive approach to the notion of the knowledge worker, and attempted to spread knowledge work across the entire workforce.

CIPD Employee Relations advisor, Diane Sinclair, said: “The creation and sharing of knowledge is now a major source of competitive advantage. Companies can inadvertently encourage employees to keep knowledge to themselves, but this knowledge is increasingly where critical value lies.

“Motivating employees to share knowledge will require a break from the past for many organisations. They must now focus on the incentive to share knowledge – not just the ability to do so. New technology, such as a company intranet, will be an expensive waste of time, if employees aren’t given incentives to use it."

For further information on the new report visit http://www.cipd.co.uk

(MB)