In today’s swiftly evolving learning landscape, one constant remains: knowledge is power. As learning leaders, we grapple with a dynamic where information is perpetually in flux. This poses unique challenges. Central to these challenges is the phenomenon of knowledge hoarding. It’s a pervasive issue that stifles organizational performance, yet it still happens everywhere. This problem isn’t trivial; it’s been quantified to cost Fortune 500 companies billions in lost revenue.. Knowledge hoarding, at its root, signals a deeper issue of trust deficiency and a lack of psychological safety within an organization.
How It Happens
Knowledge hoarding manifests when individuals withhold information beneficial to someone else. It is a behavior steeped in fear, nurtured by distrust and is alive and thriving in competitive environments, posing barriers to learning, innovation and growth. Learning and development (L&D) leaders have both a challenge and an opportunity to influence a cultural shift. Consider this: In a survey by the Technology Services Industry Association, most organizations thought improving knowledge management would increase their productivity 30% or more. We are intentional collaborators and information sharers. This is one area where we can help organizational systems improve.
What Drives Knowledge Hoarding?
There are two main drivers that impact this behavior, missing trust and broken systems and hierarchies.
- Missing trust: When colleagues do not trust each other, people get protective of the information they know. This can occur to the point of feeling like information is job security. When information becomes a guarded asset, often perceived as a lifeline, people hoard it.
- Broken systems and hierarchies: Rigid organizational structures create barriers to shared information and create competitive rather than collaborative environments. Inflexible organizational structures inadvertently incentivize knowledge hoarding.
Now that we know the underlying forces, we can influence and lead positive change.
How L&D Can Help
L&D teams play a pivotal role in knowledge management by initiating programs that emphasize sharing information from day one. We develop and lead onboarding, mentoring and leadership programs every day. These can lay the groundwork for collaboration cultures, transforming the perception of knowledge as a personal asset to one of a shared organizational resource, valued by all colleagues.
L&D professionals have the power of influence in the palm of their hand. Through program excellence, we make change happen. Here are some ideas to get you started, and I am certain this list will have you thinking of more.
Influence the idea of the leader as a role model.
Instead of being the keeper of the knowledge, the leader should be the example and be held accountable for exemplifying knowledge-sharing behaviors and setting the stage for trust and openness on teams.
Leverage the help of technology.
Consider implementing a knowledge management platform or other processes that facilitate an easier and more effective flow of information that employees can easily access and utilize.
Connect to colleague motivators and detractors.
Learn and address the underlying reasons for knowledge hoarding, like fear of irrelevance or power dynamics. You know your organization and the culture. This will look a little different from business to business.
Measure it.
Integrate knowledge sharing into performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), making it a tangible objective for learning programs and performance management. Done well, it can be reverse engineered into objectives for learning programs. And if you are closely tied to human resources (HR) partners, it can be built into leadership capability and competency models.
Build it.
Build these ideas into mentoring programs, including reverse mentoring. Build it into the practice of job shadowing. Create a mitigation strategy for negative behavior so they can be identified and reversed quickly.
This Is Your Call to Action
Transforming a knowledge-hoarding culture into a culture of collaboration and sharing is a formidable undertaking. It requires analysis and commitment to a sustained effort. We can drive this change. We can uncover the root causes, weave strategic initiatives into our learning programs, and lead the way with technological innovation. Our goal is to cultivate environments where knowledge sharing is the norm, and innovation is an everyday occurrence. The journey is challenging, but the destination — a collaborative, open and dynamic organizational culture — is profoundly rewarding.
