Whats in it for them?

Knowledge sharing, knowledge hoarding: "

Most organisations view knowledge acquired 'on the job' as belonging to the organisation rather than the individual – and certainly something that should be shared. But many employees don't see it that way.

When it comes to job knowledge, few know more about it than the person doing the job. Employees accumulate a wealth of information and along the way, often develop efficiencies that make them more productive.

Yet, according to Dr David Zweig, an assistant professor of organisation behaviour at the University of Toronto, they are often reluctant, for various reasons, to pass along that knowledge to others within the organisation.

'Knowledge sharing is often one of the most troubling issues facing employers and they keep trying to develop effective ways to encourage employees to share what they have learned on their jobs. It remains a difficult goal,' he says.

Zweig and Dr Susan Brodt of Queens University and several colleagues have been studying why people are reluctant to share their knowledge. They will be presenting their full findings at the annual conference of The Society for Industrial and Organisational Psychology in Dallas May 5-7."

Pete's Points

Most organisations are selfish.

Most people in Senior Management are selfish (witness their salary packages.)

Organisations pay workers as little as possible, generally minimize their work entitlements, have slogans like "do more with less" "maximise the bottom line".

Meanwhile, prices are rising, taxes are increasing, life is becoming harder and harder and more and more dangerous.

So people who work in this environment LEARN how to be selfish or perhaps more appropriately have learnt the lesson that "there is no such thing as a free lunch."

They now tend to say:

"If I am fortunate enough to learn something in the process for working with tight fisted managers and shareholders who care about themselves and don't give a fig about me, then the question arises WHY should I help THEM for free?"

Rather I would ask the question, "What's in it for ME?"

Intellectual property is earned the hard way by people who work hard and actually THINK about their work and their work situation. This intellectual property is - or should be - marketable.

So PAY people for their knowledge with whatever they want to ease their lives and then there may be a greater degree of sharing.