Knowledge Transfer

With all of the generational integration taking place, a critical challenge has been succession planning.  Communication barriers have prevented businesses and organizations from developing qualified candidates to credibly assume available positions.  Regardless of why, to not effectively transfer knowledge is criminal and should be punishable by...  Although reason shouldn’t justify the absence of instruction, some may include: 

• A deficiency of qualified candidates
• Lack of training personnel and/or resources
• Existing Expertise

Generational polarity inhibits many leaders from growing and retaining younger employees.  These separate groups define work, time, and success differently.  Evolving differences perpetuate the lack of effective communication and knowledge transfer which makes succession planning that much more difficult.

I have always been taught not to speak about problems without being willing to discuss solutions.  Having spent committed years in education, one thing I do understand is that we all learn differently even with accepted learning modalities.  I believe that even with those, we acquire cognition by attaching new information to existing information which varies greatly from person to person.  What this means to the generational gaps is that in order to convincingly convey beliefs to youth we have to understand what they already know, where they currently are and proceed from there.   At first sight, time appears to be an overwhelming challenge, however, the immediate counter thought should be technology’s contribution to this process.  With all of the communication devices, mobile offices, and flexibility, we should be able to close this relational gap much sooner than later.

Leaders must acknowledge and accept some of the responsibility, sharing the desire to ‘make it happen’.  With that said there are a variety of opposing factors to consider regarding generational time and space, some of which are:

• HR
• Work Hours
• Training
• Assessment
• Incentives
• Advancement/Mobility

Traditional principles that superiors typically gauge performance by have changed tremendously.  Leaders who are able to accommodate unconventional behaviors, connect, and impact the thoughts of the younger workforce will find themselves more inspiring.  At the end of the day we all want to be better at what we decide to do, we enjoy learning and feeling better about ourselves.  This is consistent with any generation.  Failing to creatively develop and transfer knowledge to the younger workforce is criminal and should be punishable by...  Great Selling!

www.eback9.com | www.rudyjamison.com | rudyjamison@eback9.com