Saving Time and Optimising Processes with Effective Knowledge Management

Another advantage of knowledge management on interactive platforms is rights management. Certain areas or folders of a network can be made accessible only to specific people or groups. Content is only released for those for whom the knowledge is relevant. In organisations without knowledge management, employees often have to sift through huge amounts of information to find what they need. However, if the relevant information is stored in a designated folder or group for a specific group of people, employees only need to process a few documents. It is, for example, useful to set up folders or groups for individual departments to which only that particular department has access. Finding what is needed more quickly saves time in day-to-day work.

Once information and knowledge are stored on a platform, they are continuously accessible. Even when colleagues leave, effective knowledge management ensures that important knowledge remains within the organisation. This requires that information and process descriptions are regularly stored in the system. Another advantage results from this, as colleagues no longer have to work out the same content independently several times. Once knowledge is stored in the network, it does not have to be generated again. For example, if the process of requesting holiday leave is stored once, the procedure does not have to be re-explained to each employee by the HR department. This reduces the additional time needed on both sides and leaves more time for more important tasks.

It is not only the reuse of existing information, process descriptions and other content that leads to time savings in an organisation. Structured knowledge management also prevents the same mistakes from being repeated. When “lessons learned” are shared with colleagues, for example in a social intranet, they can proactively avoid potential risks. This prevents work processes from being set back again. The time gained can then be used productively. Faster decision-making achieved through knowledge management also contributes to more efficient workflows. With efficient knowledge distribution on an interactive platform, employees are always up to date. Opinions can therefore develop continuously and votes can be conducted more quickly.

According to a study by HAYS entitled “Knowledge Work in the Digital Transformation: Self-Fulfilment and Self-Exploitation”, knowledge workers spent around 47% of their work – almost half of their working time – on routine activities. For this reason, 38% of respondents said that the greatest need for digitalisation lies precisely in these routine tasks. 28% also claimed that knowledge management as a whole should be improved through digitalisation, for example in the identification of knowledge holders and knowledge sources. This shows that insufficient digitalisation in knowledge management and the need to accelerate routine activities remain a problem in many organisations.

However, modernising IT infrastructure could bring a turnaround. Automation and the process improvements offered by interactive platforms reduce the proportion of routine tasks. 40% of the professionals surveyed claimed that automation through technical tools had already led to improvements in reducing routine tasks. This would increase the time available for skills development. Investing in platforms for knowledge management, such as social intranets, can save time where it is needed and free up time elsewhere. Combined with new training concepts and leadership methods, this would allow more time in the future for demanding and varied tasks.

For knowledge management to work in an organisation, the provider of an interactive platform should be chosen carefully. Just as organisations differ, so do their requirements for knowledge management. Only when there are suitable options for the effective distribution and storage of information can knowledge management help save time.