INTHEBLACK February 2025 - Magazine - Page 51
Capture
organisational
wisdom
The value of an employee’s know-how can be priceless and
a great loss if that employee were to leave. While capturing this
intangible asset may seem elusive, here is how some organisations
are bottling wisdom before it is too late.
Words Emma Foster
WHEN A KEY EMPLOYEE LEAVES AN
organisation, there is a high risk that the
knowledge they have built up will walk out
the door with them.
It is an age-old problem, but the stakes
are getting higher. Know-how has become
a prized advantage in the shift to a
knowledge-based economy at a time when
job mobility remains high.
“Knowledge is a key strategic asset in
any organisation,” says Nadia Taylor, CEO
of workplace strategy firm Mapien. “A lot of
the time, businesses aren’t great at capturing
it, particularly when it comes to the tacit
wisdom employees have gained over years.”
What is the trick to retaining what employees
know? It lies squarely in a firm’s ability to
create a culture of knowledge sharing, says
Jessica May, learning and development
manager at HR agency HumanX.
“What you don’t want is a culture in which
the employee’s exit is the trigger to capture
their knowledge,” May says. “Instead, you
want to build a collaborative culture where
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 51
