Where should knowledge be stored? There are many answers to this question!
A common answer is to say that knowledge should be stored in people's heads, and some would argue that knowledge exists ONLY in human heads. That's not an argument I want to get into, and for the sake of this blog post I am going to assume that knowledge can be transferred through documents and videos, as well as (though less effectively than) face to face dialogue, and that documented knowledge needs to be stored somewhere.
The problem with storing knowledge only in heads is that heads are an ineffective long-term storage. Heads leave the organisation, are poorly searchable, and can lose or overwrite knowledge (see my blog post on 7 ways the brain loses or distorts knowledge). Even if we do store it in heads, then instead of individual heads we should store it in the collective memory of communities. Individuals are prone to bias, opinion, and other fallacies, and knowledge is tested and confirmed through comparison and discussion with other practitioners, for example in a community of practice. However there are certainly cases where storing knowledge in the heads of the community is the best approach, namely when this knowledge is contextually rich, rapidly evolving, continually practiced and continually discussed. These factors make documentation of the knowledge difficult and unnecessary.
When it comes to the storage of documented knowledge, there are two main considerations when it comes to storage;
- Findability
- Updateability.
Storage option for best practices |
|
Average satisfaction
rating |
On a wiki |
|
3.67 |
As paper documents |
|
3.50 |
Dedicated Knowledge Base software |
|
3.27 |
A portal or Intranet (including SharePoint) |
|
3.00 |
Within an expert system |
3.00 |
|
Within file folders |
|
2.14 |
Other (please specify) |
|
1.57 |
Wikis are associated with the greatest level of satisfaction, and it is interesting to see there are cases where paper documents are good enough. Storing best practices in file folders seems to be a poor option. Wikis allow both findability and updateability, while in some contexts paper documents are more usable at the point of need than online documents.
Storage option for lessons |
Average effectiveness score |
In a custom lessons management system, supplied externally |
3.33 |
In a custom lessons management system, built in-house |
3.33 |
In a wiki |
3.07 |
Within social media technology |
3.00 |
As entries in a database system such as Microsoft Access or similar |
2.97 |
As individual lessons documents within a folder structure |
2.24 |
As fields in a spreadsheet |
2.00 |
As sections within reports |
1.94 |
We do not store lessons |
1.67 |
I don't know |
1.17 |
Custom lesson management systems are associated with the greatest level of satisfaction. Storing lessons within project reports is a poor option.
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