Editorial
If you’ve ever watched an experienced colleague retire or move on, you likely felt a sense of celepation mixed with panic. You’re happy for them, but can’t help wondering what happens to all the know-how they’ve built up over the years. Who will answer the “why did we do it this way?” questions next month, or next year?
The “Great Retirement” challenge is real, and it’s reshaping organizations everywhere. But knowledge loss doesn’t only happen when people retire. It happens every time someone leaves, changes roles or when organizations fail to capture and share what people know. And it’s not just a technical problem; it’s a business risk. It can erode customer trust, slow innovation and drive up costs as teams reinvent the wheel. In some cases, it can even threaten compliance or safety.
The good news is you don’t have to stand by and watch it happen. Here’s how to get ahead:
Prevent Knowledge Loss
1. Build a Culture of Knowledge Sharing
Make sharing what you know part of everyday work, not an afterthought. Communities of practice, social platforms and informal mentoring connect people who have knowledge with those who need it. When employees see knowledge sharing as valued and rewarded within the organization, they’re more likely to participate.
Consider launching “lunch and learn” sessions or peer-led workshops where employees can showcase their expertise and discuss lessons learned from recent projects. Even simple practices like starting meetings with a quick “knowledge roundtable” where you might ask, “what’s one tool, tip or resource you’ve found helpful this week?" can spark valuable conversations and surface insights that might otherwise be lost.
2. Develop Intentional Knowledge Transfer Capabilities
Some knowledge is too critical to leave to chance. Structured interviews, job handoff documents and mentoring programs help extract the “know-how” that lives in experts’ heads.
For example, when a key team member announces they are leaving, set up a transition plan that includes shadowing, documentation and Q&A sessions with their peers. This not only preserves essential know-how, it also helps build trust and ensure continuity within teams.
Leading organizations go further by mapping where critical knowledge resides, identifying gaps, and creating tailored transfer plans for high-impact roles.
3. Invest in Content Management and Findability
Capturing knowledge is only half the battle. If people can’t find and use what’s been captured, the effort is wasted. Strong content management that includes curation, tagging and regular validation and review cycles by experts keeps knowledge relevant, accurate and accessible. Taxonomies and smart search tools make it easy to find what you need when you need it. Engage experts and encourage them to contribute to wikis, internal knowledge bases and periodically review content to ensure it stays relevant and useful.
Leverage AI as a Knowledge Multiplier
AI-powered tools can automate the capture, summarization and organization of expert knowledge, turning transcripts, videos and documents into reusable assets. For example, some organizations use AI to generate summaries and training materials from expert interviews, or to surface relevant knowledge to employees at the moment of need.
AI can also help identify knowledge gaps, recommend content and personalize learning for employees. But AI tools are only as good as the content they’re trained on. That’s why strong content management and governance are more important than ever, and pairing human expertise with AI ensures that knowledge remains accurate, relevant and actionable.
Build Effective Change Management Capabilities
Despite widespread concern about knowledge loss, many organizations struggle to take action. Common barriers include lack of time, resources and leadership support. To build buy-in with leadership, create a compelling business case, secure executive sponsorship and integrate knowledge transfer practices into poader organizational and digital transformation efforts.
And as AI and other emerging technologies continue to reshape how people work, employees need ongoing communication and coaching, upskilling and incentives to adapt.
Measure Success
How do you know if your knowledge loss prevention efforts are working? Leading organizations track:
- Adoption and participation — Usage rates of knowledge repositories and attendance at knowledge transfer events
- Cost and efficiency — Time saved and reduction in rework and
- Engagement and satisfaction — Employee surveys and expert interviews.
Success stories that showcase real-life examples of how knowledge sharing made a difference can be especially powerful for building momentum and securing ongoing leadership support. Consider creating a “knowledge impact” dashboard or sharing monthly highlights to keep the value of these efforts visible.
Make Knowledge Your Competitive Advantage
The “Great Retirement” and rapid workforce changes are not just challenges; they’re opportunities. Organizations that act now to capture, share and leverage their collective knowledge will be more resilient, innovative and prepared for the future.
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Start today:
- Identify your organization’s most critical knowledge and where it’s at risk.
- Establish communities of practice or mentoring programs to engage experts and encourage sharing.
- Invest in content management and AI that help make knowledge more accessible.
- Build partnerships across HR, IT, and business functions to embed knowledge sharing behaviors and knowledge transfer capabilities in your culture.
Don’t wait until the last expert logs off and walks away. Make knowledge your organization’s most valuable, enduring asset.
Editor's Note: Read on for more knowledge management insights:
- Preserve Your Organization's Critical Knowledge With Knowledge Maps — Knowledge maps help you better understand knowledge-related risks and opportunities — and have a proven track-record for results.
- 5 Key Challenges of Knowledge Management (and How to Conquer Them) — You’re likely sitting on a lot of valuable data and insights. But how you use and share it is everything. Some tips to build a knowledge-sharing culture.
- How Your Taxonomy Can Support Your Knowledge Management — When you’ve got mountains of information at your fingertips, your organization needs to be smart about making it findable.
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