First of all, it helps to have an understanding of knowledge transfer. While it may seem like a new trending buzzword, it’s really something basic. Knowledge transfer, put simply, is a management system for knowledge and how it is transferred from one person to another.
If you write a list for your spouse or children with a step-by-step guide to their chores, this is knowledge transfer. When you start a new job and you are given a checklist of items that you need in order to open the store or to close down the machine, that is knowledge transfer.
Now that you have a basic idea of what knowledge transfer is, you may be wondering how it can help you learn a job quicker, or how you can use it to ensure efficiency in not just work, but everyday life.
Knowledge Transfer on the Job
According to Steve Trautman, an expert in knowledge transfer, having a plan in place saves you from future risks and loss of money when it comes to business. That plan is how knowledge transfer happens.
When it comes to work, however, the transfer of knowledge is more than just writing something down. You need to make sure that the person you are transferring knowledge to can easily understand what is in writing. Not everyone is perfect for the same job as everyone else, so you want to make sure that the knowledge is going to the right candidate for the job, as well as having the right person in line to teach them and transfer that knowledge.
It will be the mentor’s job to ensure that the plan is understood and that the knowledge is effectively transferred to the new employee. That means following up with a test. You wouldn’t want to transfer knowledge of how to fly a plane to someone that has never flown a plane and then send them up without a test, with a plane full of passengers.
Knowledge Transfer at Home
The easiest way to get an understanding of knowledge transfer when it comes to home life is looking at family recipes passed down from one generation to the next. Each generation is transferring their cooking knowledge to the next so that they will all be able to continue on family traditions such as grandma’s apple pie.
Once a new family member has baked that pie a couple times they’ll generally remember most, if not all, of the directions for making it without needing to look back at the recipe a bunch of times. This is why it’s important to write down family history, because that knowledge, if not in writing to be passed on, can be lost.
Having things in writing allows you to absorb the directions quicker as you follow the words step-by-step. It’s a great way to combine ways of learning so that it is more effective for more people.