The most recent issue of KM Review contains an article, “New tools to link the changing workforce - Engaging generations with web logs and social networking,” that I wrote with Robin Athey and Adriaan Jooste of Deloitte. It is the featured article of the issue and you can get a free summary on the KM Review site.
We first summarize some of the issues facing those near retirement, those at mid-career and the young generation entering the workforce. We then look at several reasons that traditional approaches to connecting these generations for knowledge sharing can fall short: Knowledge is social in nature, context-driven, and personal. Next we suggest ways that blogs and social networking software can work within these constraints.
For example, because blogs promote the personal voice, they have been shown to invite increased participation, in both work settings and corporate learning networks, supporting the extended capture of quality knowledge. Their personal voice also allows for an intimacy that enhances knowledge transfer. When monitored and evaluated by peers, the best knowledge within blogs tends to rise to the top, allowing for a distributed marketplace of ideas.
We also include a side bar conversation with Dave Delong, author of Lost Knowledge. We discuss some examples from his research on ways organizations have successfully connected the generations within their workforces.
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