We’ve talked about how to define critical knowledge, not only by talking to knowledge holders, but by talking to those that people work with, who may recognize skills and tasks – critical to the job or organization – that the knowledge holders may not see themselves. So…be sure to talk with the folks your knowledge holder works with closely; get their perspective.
Equally important is conversation with the knowledge holder directly, to not only uncover the explicit knowledge held, but also the tacit knowledge. These two types of knowledge capturing events are sometimes called “Knowledge Capture” and “Legacy Capture.”
Knowledge = Explicit
Legacy = Implicit
Legacy also implies that the knowledge holder has something to share with others – his or her “legacy” to the optimal functioning of the organization.
The tacit knowledge piece is sometimes hard to get to…it’s elusive and, well, tacit. It’s not as easy to see/hear/feel and takes a skilled interviewer to uncover. Here are some helpful interview questions we’ve used to discover a knowledge holder’s “legacy” not just ”knowledge.”
- In looking over your tenure in this position, what are you most proud of - – what has contributed to the success of your peers, department, division or the company overall?
- What advice would you give someone taking on this same job role for the company?
- What would your customers (internal/external) say you have done to improve/deepen the relationship between them and our company?
- Describe a time when you really made a difference for someone or some project. What advice would you give to another who wants to make a similar impact?
- What are the greatest challenges you face in this job? How have you handled them? What “dos” and “don’ts” have you picked up along the way?
These questions, and others like them, are designed to get past the procedural “how to” of a particular job role and dig deeper for the underlying “ways of being” that contribute to success. This is just a sampling of question types. What others can you think of?