managing the risk of knowledge loss due to workforce attrition

Managing the Risk of Knowledge Loss D t W kf Att itiDue to Workforce Attrition

Retaining and Leveraging the Critical and Relevant Knowledge of the Government Workforce

SIKM16 June 2009

Bill KaplanBill KaplanChief Knowledge OfficerAcquisition Solutions

Creating a Common Understanding About Knowledge

Data Information

“United flight 0010l L G di t 1345

Knowledge

“That flight is always d l d d ft“1345UA0010 32A” leaves LaGuardia at 1345

from gate 32Adelayed and often cancelled”

Relationships and trust are required for knowledge transfer and re-useRelationships and trust are required for knowledge transfer and re-use

One View of Knowledge in an Organization

2009© Acquisition Solutions

Value Of Transferring “Knowledge” And Effective Practices

Quickly access and build on experience &

L d id & d t f t th

New Missions &

Services

Quickly access and build on experience & ideas to fuel innovation

Learn, decide & adapt faster than the “speed of change”Speed & Agility

Accelerate the transfer and use of existing know-howStep-Change in Performance

Knowledge Enabled, High Performing Organization


Two Basic Principles for KM Success

• Technology and information management alone cannot be relied upon for success – Knowledge sharing is more about people and what they know than

technology– Technology and tools cannot in and of themselves provide effectiveTechnology and tools cannot in and of themselves provide effective

“context of use” and add this value

• Knowledge capture and knowledge reuse must work within:– the context of workflow—“part of the way people do business”

the context of organizational culture– the context of organizational culture.


DefinitionsDefinitions

• Attrition: Change in the numbers, skills, ands competencies in the workforce due to retirement, promotion transfer career change of leadership andpromotion, transfer, career change of leadership and workforce

• Critical Knowledge: Knowledge that is fundamental to the business or operational processes of the organization that supports mission delivery and mission success


Why Is Knowledge Loss A Key Workforce Ch ll W A F i ?

• Loss of knowledge -- and people with the knowledge -- between

Challenge We Are Facing?

Loss of knowledge and people with the knowledge between agencies and those leaving government is increasing

L i l t d i ti l k l d d i i tit ti l• Leveraging accumulated organizational knowledge drives institutional memory (experience, judgment, and “know-how”)

• Impacts government's ability to deliver value to the people (mission)– Productivity, reduced cycle time, and errors that could be avoided with effective

capture and retention policies and practicescapture and retention policies and practices

• Knowledge loss impacts organizational continuity and agility. C ti it t ff ti l i th f f l t th k– Continuity --operate effectively in the face of employee turnover, other work disruptions, and emergencies

– Agility -- organization’s ability to address the future and to adapt effectively to change


change.

Why Is Knowledge Loss A Key Workforce Challenge We Are Facing?Challenge We Are Facing?

• Approaches to retaining critical knowledge and the timing of these retention activities across the government have been addressedgin many ways, some more-or-less effectivethan others.

• No integrated process or framework to capture and reuse the workforce’s relevant information, experience, and insight on a consistent and disciplined basisdisciplined basis

• Complicating factors: (1) increasing size and complexity of acquisition workload(2) decline in number of professionals in acquisition workforce

• Challenge at the leadership level and at the workforce level – it’s multi-generational and still not priority for most organizations

2009© Acquisition Solutions9

generational and still not priority for most organizations

People Have Always Retired OrLeft With Their Knowledge

What’s different about this now and why should we care?

• We have a “workforce gap” – knowledge of the workforce isinversely proportional to the age of the workforce

• There is a real issue when there is not a ready and continuous stream of knowledgeable replacements with the critical skills to fill the gaps

• Can't just hire more people and then send them to training

• Example Acquisition Workforce:• Example Acquisition Workforce: – The average age of the acquisition profession according to a recent

NCMA survey is 45 years old– There is competition for the remaining scarce resources among all p g g

agencies and the private sector– We need a deliberate means for learning, capture and transfer of

the “experience” of acquisition – the “know how” and “know why” of acquisition


acquisition

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1=Poor to 10=Excellent), how would you rate your organization’s performance to

reduce the loss of critical knowledge?


What are your organizations doing to addressWhat are your organizations doing to address these workforce challenges?


Some Basics to Set the Stage for Success In Addressing This Challenge

• Understand there is long term value in capturing andi k l d d h d h it b li dreusing knowledge and how and where it can be applied

– it’s about performance!

• Must be a desire to make this part of the way you operate -- need a place to start where it will have a significant impact on performance

• Focus must be on the people and the processes necessary to move knowledge across the workforce -- it’s about changing behavior not the technology!!


Some Basics to Set the Stage for Success In Addressing This Challenge

• Recognize that it is a long term commitment toRecognize that it is a long term commitment tomaintain and sustain a knowledge enabled organization

• Understand the multi-generational nature of the federal workforce

• Must create awareness by articulating and communicating theMust create awareness by articulating and communicating the

knowledge loss problem as a “burning platform”


Setting Up for Success In

• Know you can’t capture everything that everyone

Reducing Knowledge Loss

Know you can t capture everything that everyoneknows, nor would you want to do this

• Decide what knowledge is critical to theorganization or is necessary to improve all aspectsof your organization’s performanceof your organization s performance

• Start small and engineer for success so people can see it’s g p pdoable

T h l t d thi l b it ’t t h t’ i• Technology cannot do this alone because it can’t get what’s in your head into someone else’s


Setting Up for Success In Reducing Knowledge Loss

• Understand that beginning is the easy part– maintaining and sustaining the effort over timeg gand continuously demonstrating value is the reallyhard part

• Support and encourage a culture that valuesknowledge sharing through collaborationknowledge sharing through collaboration

• Reflect on the alternative of not doing anything

• Get some professional help when you need it to help tackle this challenge


g

• What are some of the tools and techniques your organizations are usingtechniques your organizations are using for capturing and reusing knowledge?

• How well are they working?


What You Can Do Right Now To Be Successful In Reducing Knowledge LossReducing Knowledge Loss

• Recognize that it’s never too late to start addressingthis challenge and its associated risksthis challenge and its associated risks (risks might be acceptance, not having a sharing culture,view that it’s extra work)

• Recognize that the concept of knowledge capturebegins at the beginning of one’s entry into the workforce, not when they are leaving the workforce!!they are leaving the workforce!!

• Evaluate how you currently capture what you know and how youEvaluate how you currently capture what you know and how you reuse it and leverage what good things you already are doing



• Pick a place to start – at the leadership level or at theworkforce level – and look for the “early adapters” iny pyour organization to begin to move your efforts forward

• Then pick a pilot project to demonstrate the value of• Then, pick a pilot project to demonstrate the value ofthese efforts and the investment in time and resources

• Think about how you will (1) measure or value the outcome of your efforts to demonstrate success and (2) convince anyone that not doing this is a risky alternative



• Find ways to maintain a dialogue with those who“know” who have left the workforceknow who have left the workforce

• Create a common approach for knowledge captureand reuse focused on collaborative behavior—it doesand reuse focused on collaborative behavior it doesat its core require cultural change – it is not easy

• Create intern and mentorship programs for the next generationCreate intern and mentorship programs for the next generation workforce and leadership to ensure relevant knowledge gets transferred

• Recognize that this a long term effort that is not just an initiative for this Fiscal Year –it is a fundamental change in how you work


Some Proven KM Tools And Techniques You Can Use Without An Established Knowledge Framework

• Mentoring and internships

• “Communities of Practice” can create anability for the workforce to share what theyability for the workforce to share what theyknow across boundaries enabled byexisting technology

• Learning Before, Learning During, Learning After

• Knowledge Repositories (Knowledge Assets) to store the “know how and k h ” f th dknow why” of processes or methods

• Leadership transition workshops

Long Term Success depends on creating a common approach for knowledge capture and reusefocused on collaborative behavior —it does at its core require cultural change – and it is not easy


Government Agency ExampleGovernment Agency Example


What questions should we be asking?What questions should we be asking?


managing the risk of knowledge loss due to workforce attrition

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