Public Power - November 2008 - (Page 19)

knowledge retention, or on the organizational impact of work force transition? The apparent lack of awareness on the knowledge retention side of the issue is startling. A study recently released by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) showed that 71 percent of midsize to large corporations surveyed had no current programs in place for incorporating retirement forecasts into knowledge transfer activities, and that 84 percent expected to rely on existing training methods for knowledge transfer. That’s a near-landslide vote for ‘business as usual’ in the face of potential crisis. Whatever the reasons, there is a dangerous imbalance between recruiting and knowledge retention efforts, and it must be corrected without delay. A study by Dr. David DeLong, “Diagnosing the Cost of Lost Knowledge,” cites numerous examples of real-world business setbacks that were directly attributable to a failure to address the loss of key knowledge resources. In some of the examples, knowledge loss triggered major business dysfunctions with a remediation cost exceeding $1 billion. People and Process A network of process understanding In many organizations—especially those with a large percentage of longtime employees— business processes operate as an implicit network of collaborative activity and shared responsibilities. Even individuals who do not have “critical job knowledge” may still be a key connection point. The people are the processes. environment. If we fail these last, missioncritical requirements of work force transition, a host of new challenges can emerge. No matter how successful work force development efforts appear to be, in one sense, they seem certain to fall short. Generating interest in utility careers, creating new university and trade school alliances, providing scholarships, and schooling those who respond to these programs all have one thing in common: they will take time—lots of time—to bear fruit. Meanwhile, all of the potential problems that can result from loss of knowledge and skill also have something in common: they are already happening. The term “implicit knowledge” appears frequently in research and commentary on knowledge retention, but most knowledge retention efforts are not focused on the implicit knowledge that sustains business processes. When the knowledge obtained from each individual is given a separate ‘address’ (whether in a digital file, a database location, a link in a wiki, or within the mind of a new worker through one-to-one mentoring) the other actors in a given business process do not have an opportunity to compare or agree upon the correctness or completeness of process interaction. Thus, if knowledge has been retained in discrete parts and pieces, the business processes themselves remain implicit. For knowledge retention efforts to deliver maximum business value, there must be a clear connection between the role-specific knowledge of individuals, and explicit business process documentation. When Sacramento Municipal Utility District in California set out to solve problems related to employee training, aging People and Process Increasingly frequent departures can cripple process understanding as ‘holes’ appear in the network. Stress on remaining veterans causes delays, increases error rates and disrupts normal mentoring, leaving new workers feeling disconnected, dissatisfied and underutilized. In one utility, customer service veterans left behind were so overwhelmed that they took early retirement—decimating the department’s staffing. work force-related knowledge retention was not the primary objective. Rather, the organization needed to improve the quality of training within its Service Delivery Information Technology (SDIT) project, where multiple business applications were supported by multiple types of training material, all of which had arrived at different times from different sources. As a result, none of the training material was standardized in content, method of presentation, or technology platform. The difficulty of maintaining and updating the training materials had been the The job of rebuilding the work force will not be complete until the new employees are in place, fully contributing, and reasonably satisfied with their SMUD serves more than 575,000 customers in a 900-square-mile area. The “business-process-driven training” initiative began in the utility’s Distribution Services Business unit, within its SDIT project.

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Public Power - November 2008

Public Power - November 2008 Contents Perspective 10 Questions Capturing Knowledge Before It Retires Jackson’s GIS Search Keeping a Job Journal Japan Tackles the Kyoto Protocol Getting to 20 by 10 Damless Hydro Power Earthquake: The Hidden Disaster For Engineers Safety For Governing Boards DEED Hometown Connections Parting Shot

Public Power - November 2008

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