Bottom up Knowledge Retention and Organizational Learning
“The people are the knowledge. The knowledge goes up and down the elevator, in and out of the building. When the person is gone, the knowledge is gone.” – Gerard Seijts, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada.
Research and practical experience consistently show that only a limited portion of employee knowledge, approximately 10%, is acquired through formal learning methods such as classroom training, instruction sessions, or e-learning modules. The majority of professional knowledge, estimated at nearly 70%, is developed through hands-on experience and day-to-day operational practice.
This experiential knowledge is often tacit, residing in the minds of employees and shaped by real-life situations: tasks that are complex, critical, prone to error, or capable of being performed more efficiently. If this knowledge is not deliberately captured and shared, it is at risk of being lost when employees change roles or leave the organization.
KMS Knowledge Retention Solution
KMS energy consultancy supports organizations in designing and implementing structured processes to systematically capture, validate, and disseminate critical organizational knowledge. Our approach focuses on extracting experience-based knowledge directly from employees and making it accessible to colleagues who rely on this insight for safe, efficient, and high-quality performance.
By developing company-specific cases derived from real operational scenarios, we ensure that practical knowledge, often undocumented but essential, is made explicit. These cases are then shared through a dedicated online learning environment, allowing employees to access relevant knowledge anytime and anywhere.
This methodology has demonstrated strong and sustained engagement from participants. Because the content is drawn directly from their own working environment and focuses on knowledge gaps or critical job-related competencies, employees show a high level of commitment to continuous learning and professional development. At the same time, the approach remains highly cost-effective by targeting learning efforts precisely where they add the most value.
Key Benefits
Our Knowledge Retention Solution enables organizations to:
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Increase and safeguard the average knowledge level across the organization in a cost-effective manner.
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Identify high-potential talent and subject-matter experts.
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Detect individuals or roles requiring additional support or development.
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Initiate continuous improvement cycles in training programs, processes, procedures, policies, and communication.
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Ensure that external contractors operate according to the same standards and quality levels as internal staff.
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Provide targeted formal training (courses, toolbox talks, workshops) to employees who demonstrably need it.