Organisations are waking up to the fact that those who “know stuff” may not be around for ever, in fact they could leave at any time.

The management sage Peter Drucker puts it starkly.

“Knowledge makes resources mobile. Knowledge workers, unlike manufacturing workers, own the means of production: they carry their knowledge in their heads and therefore can take it with them.”

It is also been recognised that the rate at which organisations and individuals learn may be their only sustainable competitive advantage in the future.

This is not just an issue of older staff leaving the workforce, it is a business risk full stop for any organisation.

There are a number of things an organisation can do.

1. Recognise and own the risk. It is not going to go away. In fact it is a business continuity risk that must be managed.

2. Develop a knowledge strategy. Move beyond technologies and repository thinking. Recognise that knowledge is socially created, transmitted and transformed.

3. Focus on engagement. Where people feel engaged and high levels of trust are present they will share knowledge.

4. Talk with your staff about their intentions. Don’t wait for the exit interview, have a staying on conversation.

5. Set up communities of practice and reward knowledge sharing. There are a range of methods that can be used.

“To create a knowledge sharing culture you need to encourage people to work together more effectively, to collaborate and to share.” David Gurteen

How well positioned is your organisation?