There is a growing problem in today’s workplaces, wherein employees hoard or simply do not provide information to others in their organisation. This problem is disruptive and hinders productivity substantially.
Multiple solutions have been tried, such as meetings, team building and knowledge management systems but the resolution is still largely unresolved. There are multiple reasons that can cause this disruption in the flow of information from person to person or team to team.
The fix to this problem can be tackled by determining which specific issues are driving the behaviour in each particular instance. One particular issue could be individual motivations, in which employees refuse to help each other at the risk of their own productivity.
On the other hand, an employee may hoard information or knowledge for personal gain or power. Unfortunately, neither situation benefits the company as a whole.
To solve this issue, promote a knowledge sharing culture in the company alongside offering employees more autonomy. By focusing on these aspects, managers can encourage employees to share more and hide less.
A lack of trust can also be a contributing factor in why employees hoard knowledge. Management should work on eliminating the various barriers in the company that restrict the free flow of information so that employees have equal access and can foster trust among each other when there is no knowledge hoarding.
This also encourages employees to share knowledge gained through experience, which requires building trust and an understanding of how the knowledge will be used. As the employees often have shared goals, knowledge sharing is beneficial to the company.
Organisational hierarchy is part of the knowledge hoarding issue among employees. Employees in an organisation are more likely to provide information if there is a moderate distance in status because the feelings of potential competition or power status is diminished.
Combatting knowledge hoarding in this particular issue can be done through rewarding employees who participate in consistent sharing of appropriate information and make clear the benefits of doing so.
Management should also be aware of and be responsive to employees who drain the productivity of others by asking about information that should already be circulated. This can be addressed through proper training or a performance improvement plan.
