Succession Planning: The owner needed to retire and find a suitable successor. Through a Fresh Eyes Assessment, it was discovered that the owner was overpowering her staff, hindering their growth. By removing this obstacle and fostering a culture of learning and empowerment, the controller was eventually chosen as the successor.
Helpful Resources
Communities of Practice: Creating communities of practice brings together individuals with shared professional interests to exchange knowledge, share best practices, and learn from each other. These communities can be physical or virtual spaces where members collaborate, discuss challenges, and co-create knowledge. Regular meetings, knowledge sharing platforms, and collaborative projects within these communities foster effective Knowledge Transfer.
Information SharingThe value of a human Brilliance Miner lies in their unique cognitive abilities and contextual understanding:
Competitive Advantage: Organizations that embrace Brilliance Mining gain a competitive advantage. By effectively capturing and utilizing critical knowledge, they can offer unique value propositions, differentiate themselves from competitors, and stay ahead in the market.
Knowledge Preservation: AI technologies contribute to the preservation of knowledge by capturing and storing institutional knowledge. AI-powered systems can record interactions, meetings, and discussions, creating a repository of valuable insights and expertise that can be accessed in the future, even after employees have left the organization.
Common approaches and techniques in Knowledge Management
Human Brilliance Miners and Subject Matter Experts can work in tandem with AI systems, collaborating to capture and transfer knowledge effectively. There are many opportunities that can and will be explored. This process has already begun. We just need to make sure we are using these technologies the right way, and recognize their strengths and limitations.
A human Brilliance Miner knows how to do that. AI can be somewhat helpful here: A human expert can interact with an AI bot such as ChatGPT and see what AI comes up with. The difference between what AI delivers versus what the expert knows can, in some cases, act as a trigger for recalling knowledge that normally resides in the expert’s subconscious mind. That said, that is a bit hit or miss. A human Brilliance Miner is much more effective at getting the complete picture.
Loss of Tacit Knowledge: Employ techniques such as interviews, storytelling, and reflection to capture and transfer tacit knowledge. Provide training on effective knowledge transfer methods to ensure critical tacit knowledge is not lost but made explicit and accessible to others.
Preserving Organizational Memory: Knowledge Transfer ensures that critical knowledge and experiences are not lost when employees retire, leave the organization, or transition to different roles. By capturing and sharing their expertise, organizations preserve their institutional memory, enabling the continuity of operations and preventing knowledge gaps.
Documentation and Knowledge Repositories: Documenting knowledge in accessible formats, such as manuals, guidelines, and wikis, ensures its preservation and dissemination. Knowledge repositories, whether in the form of databases, intranets, or content management systems, provide centralized access to explicit knowledge. These repositories serve as valuable resources for employees to search, access, and contribute knowledge.
Why is Knowledge Management important?
Results: Within a six-month period, the company regained profitability through improved hiring practices, a unified estimating process, and refined bidding criteria. By streamlining these processes and providing training, the company experienced significant improvements in profitability. Additionally, the successful implementation of employee ownership thinking created a more engaged and empowered workforce.
Work-Life Balance: Measure improvements in work-life balance for the owner and other key employees. Determine if Brilliance Mining has allowed them to delegate responsibilities, reduce their workload, and create a healthier work-life integration.
In summary, the value of a human Brilliance Miner lies in their contextual understanding, data interpretation, problem-solving skills, creativity, and ethical considerations. By collaborating with AI, they can enhance the effectiveness of knowledge extraction and analysis, ensuring the accuracy, relevance, and human-centric perspective necessary for informed decision-making and strategic planning.
Culture of Continuous Learning: Brilliance Mining fosters a culture of continuous learning, where employees are encouraged to share their knowledge and insights. This promotes personal and professional growth, improving individual and team performance.
Dr. Althouse's unique approach transcends conventional boundaries, as she equips her clients to navigate and thrive amidst rapid change - a phenomenon she refers to as 'Super Change'’ Her keen eye uncovers hidden opportunities, addresses overlooked challenges, and stimulates transformative growth.
Knowledge Transfer and Exchange: Knowledge transfer involves the dissemination of knowledge from one individual or group to another. Techniques such as mentoring, apprenticeships, job rotation, communities of practice, and e-learning programs are used to facilitate the transfer of tacit and explicit knowledge, ensuring that valuable expertise is shared and preserved.
Knowledge Repositories and Portals: Knowledge repositories serve as centralized repositories of explicit knowledge, including documents, reports, research papers, and best practice guidelines. These repositories are often supported by knowledge portals, which provide intuitive interfaces and search capabilities, enabling easy access to relevant knowledge resources.
Knowledge Management employs various approaches and techniques to facilitate the effective capture, organization, and sharing of knowledge within an organization. Some common approaches and techniques include:
Yes, there are several ways: One is to immediately begin making video (or at least audio) recordings of any and all training you are already doing anyway. This is Brilliance Extraction at “naturally occurring opportunities.”
Secondly, you can sign up for the free membership at the Brilliance Mine Academy and take the first module of the introductory course on the Brilliance Mining Method. This will only take 15 minutes and provide you with a foundational understanding of the method and how to apply it in your organization.
What is the best way to get started with Brilliance Mining?
You begin with Brilliance Mapping and write down which areas of Brilliance you have. This will not be a complete list because you are not going to think of it all, but it is a great start. Then consider:
Which area is the easiest to start with (perhaps you are working on improving this area right now or are training someone in it)?
Or which area would as have the most positive impact on your business if it was documented and made trainable?
If the two overlap, that is even better!
Most of all, just get started!
Of course, the answer is, “It depends.” That said, we have had clients who had something tangible in their hands after just one session, something that made a difference to them. Or, another client had his entire Secret Sauce documented within six weeks after not being able to teach it to his team for twelve years completely. The key is to go for an early win. Ditch perfectionism and quickly create something that is useful. You can still refine it later. Furthermore, we recommend you use the early version to get valuable feedback which might influence the direction of how you proceed.
To form a successful culture around knowledge sharing, it is important to create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their knowledge. This can be achieved by creating a culture of openness and transparency, where employees are encouraged to share their ideas and insights without fear of judgment or criticism. It is also important to help employees understand the benefits of sharing their knowledge, such as professional and personal growth opportunities, and to reward them for doing so. This can be done through bonuses, salary raises, or employee ownership, as well as opportunities to work on exciting projects and tasks. By creating a win-win scenario where employees are happy and well-trained, you can foster a culture of knowledge sharing that will help your organization thrive.
It is important to update your knowledge management system regularly to ensure that it remains relevant and useful to your organization. The frequency of updates will depend on the nature of your business and the rate of change in your business and industry. However, it is generally recommended to update your knowledge management system frequently, ideally as soon as you learn that something is missing or needs to be updated. I encourage you to build a culture that encourages employees to contribute to the system regularly, as this will help to keep it up-to-date and relevant to their needs.