A Foundation For Understanding Knowledge Sharing: Organizational Culture, Informal Workplace Learning, Performance Support, And Knowledge Management

Abstract

This paper serves as an exploration into some of the ways in which organizations can promote, capture, share, and manage the valuable knowledge of their employees. The problem is that employees typically do not share valuable information, skills, or expertise with other employees or with the entire organization. The author uses research as well as her graduate studies in the field of Human Resource Development (HRD) and professional career experiences as an instructor and training and development consultant to make a correlation between the informal workplace learning experiences that exist in the workplace and the need to promote, capture, and support them so they can be shared throughout the organization. This process, referred to as knowledge sharing, is the exchange of information, skills, or expertise among employees of an organization that forms a valuable intangible asset and is dependent upon an organization culture that includes knowledge sharing, especially the sharing of the knowledge and skills that are acquired through informal workplace learning; performance support to promote informal workplace learning; and knowledge management to transform valuable informal workplace learning into knowledge that is promoted, captured, and shared throughout the organization.