Tribal Knowledge

I have worked at several places where much knowledge was “tribal knowledge.” In the Six Sigma discipline, it is defined as knowledge that is known by some but not documented. In many instances, it is essential to production of a quality product. Some people see this as “job security.” Others say, half joking, “What happens if I get hit by a beer truck?”

Sometimes tribal knowledge is incorrect. Sometimes it contradicts the actions of other departments or management. Most often, however, it involves stuff that one or more people do regularly, but have never committed to writing.

In a 2013 article in Training magazine, “Unlocking Tribal Knowledge to Transform Your Organization,” Alfedo Zangara discusses the problem. “To date, tapping into this knowledge has been difficult and costly. But the desire to make it easier to access and organize this information for broader benefit is inspiring fresh thinking.” He goes on to outline his framework for correcting the issue in an organization.

Solutions? There are plenty of consultants who make a living helping companies get this information out of people’s heads and into writing, training programs, knowledge bases, and so on. Zangara’s method is just one of many these days.

Whatever approach is chosen, it comes down to hard work – work that doesn’t relate directly to the organization’s day-to-day activities. It is what Steven Covey would call a “Quadrant 2” activity: something that is important but not urgent. It also requires change, something we all know is difficult for us humans.

In these days of hypersensitivity to risk, tribal knowledge could be one of the biggest risks facing your organization. Better start doing something about it!