Checklist: How to build a culture of knowledge sharing in your company
“How do you do that? Does anyone remember?” – common questions in the work chat.
Olia from the accounting department knows the answer, but she is on vacation. Or maybe Maryna knew it, but she quit two months ago. There are also instructions somewhere in Google Drive, but no one remembers where exactly.
Such situations occur in companies on an almost daily basis. Knowledge is stored “in the heads” of employees, scattered across chats and various files. The team spends hours searching for information, and when someone leaves, part of their expertise leaves with them. All of this slows down work processes and reduces productivity.
The solution to this problem is to create a culture of knowledge sharing. When information becomes accessible, structured, and relevant, business processes accelerate, and the time spent searching for answers is reduced significantly.
In this article, we have prepared a checklist of five key steps to help you build an environment where knowledge is not lost but multiplied.
5 steps to effective knowledge sharing: Checklist from LMS Collaborator
Step 1. Create a centralized knowledge base
When information is scattered across different places: chats, Google Docs, personal files, notes, it quickly turns into chaos.
To avoid this, create a single place for storing corporate knowledge—a centralized database. It will contain everything you need: instructions, regulations, guides, video tutorials, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQ).
It should be easy to understand and use. A logical structure, categories, and tags help you quickly find the stuff you need, and access from any device lets you work with info right when you need it.
For example, in LMS Collaborator, the knowledge base is not just a file repository. It helps structure content, configure access for different roles, and use knowledge as a full-fledged working tool that the team refers to every day.
LMS Collaborator Knowledge Base
Step 2. Encourage employees to share knowledge
A knowledge base only works when it is constantly updated and remains relevant. This is possible if not only HR or L&D managers are involved in the process, but also experts from various departments. They are the ones who possess unique experience that is important to record.
To prevent the knowledge base from becoming a static archive, involve the team in content creation. When employees can easily add materials, update instructions, and leave comments on processes, individual knowledge gradually becomes a corporate asset. This approach allows the knowledge base to “grow” and enrich itself along with the company, and the team to exchange best practices.
Step 3. Ensure quick search and access to information
Even a well-stocked knowledge base will not be useful if the information you need is difficult to find. Clear navigation, logical sections, and tags significantly reduce the time spent working with materials.
In LMS Collaborator, knowledge base resources can be structured by category and access levels can be configured, for example, to make certain information available only to specific positions or departments. This simplifies navigation and helps employees see only the materials that are relevant to their work.
Configuring access levels
However, when the knowledge base contains hundreds or thousands of resources, a simple keyword search may not be enough. There is a high probability of getting unnecessary results, and the employee has to manually review each file.
LMS Collaborator 3.0 features AI search, which finds materials not by exact word matches, but by the meaning of the query. Thanks to semantic analysis, the system understands the context, even if you don’t remember the exact name of the resource or formulate the query inaccurately.
Step 4. Embed a culture of knowledge into your daily work
If employees only think about the knowledge base during scheduled training, it loses its role as a working tool. For it to be useful, it needs to be part of the team’s daily processes.
To make knowledge work for results, integrate it into every stage of work. Start with onboarding: new employees should get used to searching for answers in the knowledge base from day one, so include working with it in the onboarding plan.
Add the rule: “search first, then ask.” Encourage the team to check the knowledge base before contacting colleagues. This forms the habit of learning “on demand,” when an employee finds the information they need at the very moment it is needed to complete a task.
Step 5. Regularly update and maintain your knowledge base
A knowledge base is not a static tool, but a living system that must constantly evolve. New products have appeared, functions have changed, or a customer has asked an unusual question – this is a reason to add new information to the database.
To keep the base useful, regularly update materials and delete outdated ones. It is important not only to accumulate files, but also to understand how the team works with them. Collect feedback from users: give employees the opportunity to evaluate the usefulness of articles.
In LMS Collaborator, users can rate resources from 1 to 5 while viewing them. This helps to rank materials, determine their popularity, and identify content that needs improvement in a timely manner.
In addition to ratings, analyze objective usage statistics. Track which sections are the most popular and which categories are accessed most often – this data will serve as the basis for improving the structure.
LMS Collaborator automatically collects detailed analytics on the number of requests to resources and counts views. All data is compiled into reports that can be downloaded to Excel for deeper analysis.
Creating a corporate knowledge ecosystem: the VIYAR experience
VIYAR is a manufacturing and trading company with tens of thousands of products, dozens of departments, and hundreds of interconnected business processes. The scale of the company requires constant staff training and maintaining high standards of work.
The main challenge for the company was the need to structure huge amounts of information. Without a unified knowledge sharing and learning system, staff would spend too many resources searching for answers. The solution was the Knowledge Base in LMS Collaborator, which over time has become a veritable corporate encyclopedia.
The database was developed gradually: first, it was implemented for the sales department, then warehouse staff, production, HR, logistics, and occupational safety were connected. The success of the system led to the company receiving requests to create profiles for managers.
The VIYAR knowledge base today:
- A large information and training system that brings together materials on various areas of the company’s work.
- It is constantly updated with new materials.
- It is a dynamic and active system that employees use every day.
- It includes texts, presentations, videos, images and diagrams, training cases with practical examples, relevant spreadsheets, and much more.
VIYAR Knowledge Base
Conclusion
An effective knowledge sharing culture is built gradually, step by step.
Start small: choose a platform for storing knowledge, create the first materials, and engage the team in using them. LMS Collaborator will help you implement these steps, turning your knowledge base into a practical working tool that your team can refer to every day.
