We had many posts on knowledge sharing, but today I’d like to talk about the content that we’re sharing. I observed three layers of the knowledge that we share and the rhyme in the title illustrates exactly that:
Something old: this is the knowledge that you achieved in your professional history – you tested and applied it for several times, it’s your specialization. You became proficient in it and many people call to you when they need help in this field. In a knowledge sharing project, this is the information you provide.
Something new: this is your fresh expertise. You don’t master it completely yet, but you are progressively gathering information that links to it. This is usually affiliated to the knowledge you already posses, so its purpose is to expand your old knowledge and to consolidate your professional position. This is the information you both provide and are provided with.
Something borrowed: while applying your old and new knowledge, you come across situations that prevent you from continuing your work – knowledge lack obstacles. These are situations that require for someone else’s competences – your colleagues’ “something old and something new”. The information you get by asking for their help is the borrowed knowledge. This represents the information you are provided with.
It’s a breakthrough: a successful professional activity combines all of the above layers of knowledge. The beauty of this process is its evolutionary character – in time, that “something new” becomes “something old” and if exercised, the “something borrowed” matures into “something new”. And so on – it’s a continuous flow of information that brings benefits to both the individual as to the whole organization itself.
Happy Knowledge Sharing!
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