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Tribal knowledge is the term used for unrestricted information in an organization and, in most cases, comes in the form of unwritten information that is stored in the mind of veteran employees. The rest of this knowledge typically comes from years of on-the-job experience, and it is critical to the maintenance of operational efficiency, efficacy and quality. As experienced employees retire or move on, tribal knowledge can blink out, so organizations must do all they can to preserve culturally significant knowledge.
It can be your practical know-how, a how-to to resolve a problem or a process improvement that is not properly written down. Its role in manufacturing is twofold:
- Process Continuity: Carrying out essential operations and workflows without interruption.
- Quality Assurance: Ensuring product quality by retaining best practices and expert knowledge
- Training Efficiency: Accelerating the onboarding and development of new employees by providing them access to seasoned expertise.
Here are some ways to effectively capture and retain tribal knowledge:
Acknowledge those with key experience-based knowledge. These individuals are typically long-tenured staff members who have deep knowledge about certain processes or pieces of equipment.
Create an environment that encourages and rewards the disclosure of thought leadership. You can encourage people through:
- Mentorship programs: Bringing in experienced workers to guide newer employees through the learning process.
- Workshop on Collaborating: Conduct sessions that allows your employees to brainstorm and note the best practices.
Transform (knowledge that is not yet documented) into formal documentation, like:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Clear, systematic instructions for carrying out a specific task.
- Process Map: A graphic overview of a workflow that displays essential steps and decision points.
Leverage digital tools to capture and share knowledge:
- Knowledge Management Systems (KMS): Places where the centralized data is stored and easily accessible.
- AI-Driven Platforms: Solutions like Stryza provide digital work instructions and dynamic workflows, facilitating real-time knowledge sharing and application.
Document processes and insights regularly in order to keep track of departures from the original plan:
- Feedback Loops: Solicit feedback from employees on current procedures and recommend upgrades.
- Knowledge base management: Keep your documentation organized and eliminate redundancy.
Capturing tribal knowledge is critical, but it has its challenges:
- Resistance to Change: Nowadays, employees are unwilling to share their knowledge due to job security concerns or unwillingness to change a routine that has worked over the years.
- Tacit Knowledge: A lot of this knowledge is tacit and individuals may not be able to adequately articulate it.
Mitigating resistance by communicating the benefits of knowledge sharing, along with supporting people in the documentation process.
Stryza provides AI-based solutions purpose-built to help manufacturers capture and manage their tribal knowledge. Stryza helps companies document expert insights by delivering digital WOs and dynamic workflows so that essential knowledge is available to everyone in the organization and operational efficiency and business continuity are in place.
Tribal Knowledge In Manufacturing: What You Should Know
Also known as tacit knowledge, tribal knowledge is often unwritten information based on experience that employees hold on to, banning the information from leaving the organization (especially in manufacturing settings). Understanding this is key to keeping things running smoothly and maintaining quality.
As it turns out, third-party auditing is not the only reason to capture tribal knowledge.
Tribal knowledge must be captured to avoid the risk of the loss of vital information when veteran employees leave, and to ensure ongoing operation, consistent product quality, and for effective training of new personnel.
Tech Assist: How Can Technology Help Capture Tribal Knowledge?
However, technology can be leveraged further through solutions like Stryza that utilize AI to create digital work instruction (that can be referenced out on the plant floor) and dynamic workflows that allow tribal knowledge to be converted into reusable content that can easily be updated and serve as a dashboard to immediately disseminate it across the organization.
what obstacles can organizations encounter in capturing tribal knowledge?
Indeed, some challenges are making it look difficult, such as the direct opposition of employees in sharing the knowledge, as they are worried about their job security, the knowledge type is tacit, which makes it hard to express, and the time that is needed to document and standardize this information.
Manufacturing organizations need to capture and manage their tribal knowledge well to remain efficient and competitive. Adopting these methods above and utilizing technological solutions like Stryza can help companies conserve their invaluable knowledge and facilitate transfer across the entire workforce.
If you'd like to read more about factory knowledge management, check out our previous article: Factory KM 101
Book a free demo of our application and see how it can take your manufacturing operations to the next level.
