Overcoming the top 5 barriers to knowledge sharing

The benefits of knowledge sharing speak for themselves. Providing a knowledge management framework in which experienced employees are encouraged to share their knowledge with others leads to better learning outcomes with a far lower investment of resources than conventional training methods.

One form of knowledge sharing, known as Employee-generated Learning (EGL) is particularly beneficial. With an Employee-generated Learningapproach, employees use an easy content authoring tool to create and share their own educational content. 

The result is that newer employees have access to highly effective, relevant training materials that are based on the real-life business experience of their more senior colleagues. These experienced colleagues are also more engaged in their work because EGL gives them recognition and clout. Best of all, EGL is a much cheaper method than conventional classroom training and is also much easier to maintain and scale-up.

Nonetheless, the approach isn’t without the commonly observed barriers and obstacles to knowledge sharing. The good news is that knowledge sharing itself has the power to overcome these obstacles. With a little guidance and some smart decision-making, you can establish an effective knowledge-sharing strategy in your organization. Read on to learn the TOP 5 barriers of knowledge sharing and how you can overcome them:

Barrier #1: Lack of time

With the fast pace of day-to-day business, it can be challenging to implement any change within an organization. Knowledge sharing is no exception. Many L&D managers find that employees are reluctant to devote precious time to sharing knowledge. However, it is important for L&D to make a strong business case to their company leadership, emphasizing the powerful benefits of a knowledge-sharing strategy such as Employee-generated Learning: cost-effectiveness, quick scalability, and stronger employee relations.

Are you experiencing this challenging situation? Use these benefits to get full buy-in from your company’s leadership. Then, knowledge sharing can organically become part of your company’s culture. It can become a regular component of managers’ and employees’ job descriptions and routine tasks.

For example, try scheduling a regular weekly time for employees and managers to meet for a knowledge sharing session or allow experienced employees time to create and share learning content as part of an EGL strategy. Turning knowledge sharing into an integral aspect of your company’s goals enables employees to prioritize and make time for it.

Barrier #2: Resistance to change

You are likely to discover that some, maybe even most, employees are reluctant to embrace change. We all cling to our daily routines, so being asked to do things differently can seem like a nuisance or even a threat.

Once again, emphasize the benefits of knowledge sharing clearly. One way to do this is to pick knowledge-sharing targets very selectively, especially in the beginning. Look for areas in which employees would benefit most from sharing knowledge. Perhaps it is a technical topic or a compliance-related issue. Identify the leading experts within your organization and help them to share their knowledge by authoring an online course, for example. By picking topics wisely in the beginning, you will enjoy the early success that convinces your employees to embrace knowledge sharing.

Barrier #3: Lack of participation

It is often the case that your company’s experienced employees will be reluctant to voluntarily share their knowledge. They may not fully understand how knowledgeable they are, and they may not see themselves as “experts” in their fields. In some cases, they may feel like they are too busy to take time away from day-to-day work to contribute to a shared pool of knowledge.

A great way to boost participation is to use internal communications to spotlight employees whenever they do contribute to the shared knowledge base. Incentivize knowledge sharing by giving employees the recognition they deserve. Make sure they are credited clearly (with their names showing as the authors) for any information they contribute. This will give them the clout they desire and motivate them to participate again in the future.

Barrier #4: Unnecessarily complicated tools

In the past, knowledge sharing was also a pain because it involved working with complex e-learning authoring tools. Clunky, expensive technologies also deterred management from embracing a knowledge-sharing strategy. In fact, this finding was one of the most quoted barriers to using knowledge-sharing systems.

Fortunately, those days are over. Simple, zero-learning-curve authoring tools like Easygenerator have made knowledge sharing easier and more accessible than ever, also in terms of price. Be sure to select a very easy-to-learn authoring tool to make the content authoring process as smooth and stress-free as possible.

Barrier #5: Anxieties about job security

Some employees may be concerned that sharing their knowledge may harm their career or job security. They may want to “horde” their knowledge so that they can outperform their less knowledgeable colleagues. This is a natural response in today’s highly competitive working environment.

To overcome this competitiveness and encourage sharing, give employees the full credit they deserve to contribute their knowledge and participate in Employee-generated Learning. What really motivates employees is recognition for doing a good job. Include their names and even faces in internal communications and hype up the good job they’re doing to make them feel valued and appreciated.

Share your knowledge effectively using Easygenerator

In the end, knowledge sharing trickles down to employees owning up to their learning needs and building a self-sustainable learning culture. Rather than trying to provide fancy tools, you as L&D must strive to provide easy opportunities to initiate Employee-Generated Learning (EGL) and a culture of knowledge-sharing. Our findings of knowledge-sharing barriers come from our own research with employees and client organizations.

Now that we’ve covered the top barriers as well as the benefits worth fighting for, we’d like to help you get started with knowledge sharing. As we’ve mentioned, initiating EGL at your organization can help build a culture of learning. At the same time, it can accelerate the circulation of knowledge throughout your company.

Under EGL, employees are responsible for creating learning content themselves. This format unlocks the pockets of knowledge that already exist in your organization because it empowers employees to share their expertise directly with their colleagues. But to enable employees to act as content creators, you’ll need a user-friendly authoring tool that anyone can start using.

Easygenerator’s drag-and-drop creator makes for an ideal solution to facilitate Employee-Generated Learning. With in-app support, onboarding sessions, and personalized coaching, we ensure that anyone can get started with Easygenerator with confidence, regardless of whether they have a background in content creation. At the same time, our tool comes with detailed learner insights, allowing employees to track their learners’ progress, identify knowledge gaps and make strategic adjustments to their content accordingly.

With a zero-learning-curve tool like Easygenerator and a scalable strategy like Employee-Generated Learning, you can leverage your organization’s existing knowledge and build a strong, sustainable culture of learning.