3 Ways Tribal Knowledge Can Cause Trouble

Companies often struggle with the lack of documented processes, commonly referred to as “Tribal Knowledge”.

Many of us have said, or heard others say, something like: “We have a ton of tribal knowledge; nothing is written down, and it seems that everyone does things differently.” Typically, company leaders feel that having too much “Tribal Knowledge” is a risk, and here is why: Win the Lottery (Hit by a Bus):  If the only person who really knows how to do something in your organization wins the lottery and abruptly quits (or “gets hit by a bus,” but I prefer not to use that one), no one else knows how to do whatever it is s/he was doing! Everyone Does It Differently:  When multiple members of a group or department all do things according to their own “tribal knowledge” methodology, the results can be as varied as the number of people in the group.  This may mean unpredictability in staffing for certain tasks, difficulty with information sharing and even problems in customer service. Hard to Scale Up: Young companies often tolerate tribal knowledge until they grow to the point that they must staff up to support the new pace of business.  When nothing is written down, steps may be missed and new hires become overwhelmed/unable to perform duties because the big picture is not clear.  If these concerns resonate with you, it might be time to document your Tribal Knowledge!  Getting started can be simple when broken down into manageable steps.  The next AJC Newsletter will list out these steps and provide a helpful template which can house your company’s first-ever attempt at documenting Tribal Knowledge. Sign up for AJC's Monthly Newsletter here!