Business magnate Warren Buffett once said, "Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing."
As simple as this sounds, it rings true for any company: Even if you have the best technology, services or products, you still need to know how to use them and how they fit into the market. Knowledge of your industry, offerings and internal operations is the foundation of an organization's competitive edge. The right learning management system plays a huge role in supporting active and frequent knowledge sharing across organizations and teams of any size.
Here's how you can use an LMS to help spread the wealth of knowledge and best practices across your employee ecosystem.
Make learning social
Within an LMS with social learning features, employees from all corners of your offices can use communication tools to comment on what they're learning, discuss their own knowledge and review coursework. This collaboration creates an opportunity for workers to learn simultaneously from both LMS modules and peer experiences, fostering better communication between employees and improving professional relationships. It's also a gateway to a dynamic culture that prioritizes learning.
Highlight internal SMEs
Some LMS features allow you to shine the spotlight on internal subject matter experts (SMEs) by creating bios of individuals with a wealth of knowledge in a specific area. When these experts commit to sharing insights with peers, they produce a highly collaborative environment. By calling out employee specializations and building fluid channels of access across departments and skill sets, you empower them to proactively expand their pool of shared learning. This in-house network will forge its own path to deeper innovation and broader team capabilities.
Set development goals
Knowledge sharing should be a component of everyone's professional development. Your company should actively reward those who excel at using the LMS regularly. Highlight active contributors in your LMS, and show employees the most efficient ways to share and apply their newfound abilities. By incorporating gamification and rewards for contributions into corporate policy, you can further encourage employees to make knowledge sharing one of their individual professional goals.
Give learners ownership
An active content or course rating feature helps your organization highlight the most valuable knowledge assets and discard modules or content that is no longer relevant. This gives employees a sense of ownership of the learning and development strategy for the company, lending them a voice in an area where they may have previously felt unheard. You'll gain deeper insight into what your employees already know and what they want to know.
The right knowledge sharing culture can have a profound and widespread impact on your employees and what they bring to your organization. It's not enough to provide employees with education—it's also important to show them how they can use it collaboratively to improve innovation and growth. Create a culture that encourages knowledge sharing, and you'll be rewarded with a vibrant workforce whose learning advances both their personal development and your business's bottom line.
