How many people do you expect to retire from your organization in the next five-10 years? Research tells us the baby boomers are reaching retirement age at a rate of 10,000 people per day, and this same rate is expected to continue to 2030. Consider the depth of knowledge that you will be missing as those people walk out the door. You can’t afford to let those employees’ wealth of information about your organization, clients and their project knowledge leave with them. What can you do right now to capture their expertise and unique stories – and to preserve the company culture and directional leadership at all levels of your organization?
Through coaching, mentoring and storytelling, we can build a legacy in which passing along institutional knowledge is a key focus of company culture. Some of this happens naturally through hours logged together. And yet, a better strategy is to ensure people are telling the right stories with the right messages.
During this presentation, we’ll outline five steps for sharing the wisdom within your organization in ways that effectively frame your story and help your employees preserve it. We’ll talk about putting intentionality behind everyday conversations, capturing and conveying technical expertise through coaching, storing important information so it’s accessible and reinforcing the aim of your organization through training and mentoring. We’ll also discuss how everyone at your organization — leadership, mid-career workers and new employees, as well as those nearing retirement — share responsibility for successful knowledge transfer.
Every employee can play a vital role in preserving the technical knowledge, culture and vision of your organization. This presentation will share stories and leave you with ideas you can implement.
Stephanie Buckingham, APTD, PHR; Freese and Nichols
Stephanie Buckingham is part of Freese and Nichols’ HR team, focusing on Organizational Development. She is responsible for designing and delivering training for Freese and Nichols employees, clients and community in the areas where they serve. Her training focuses on Communication, Accountability, Personality Styles, Emotional Intelligence, and Ethics. Stephanie is a certified Crucial Conversations and Crucial Accountability trainer. She also serves on the Association for Talent Development’s Program Advisory Council for its annual conference.
Keith Beatty, P.E., FNSPE; Freese and Nichols
Keith leads the Freese and Nichols Tulsa office, is an FNI Project Manager and a mentor. He is responsible for providing buildability reviews and QA/QC for all types of projects. As a past City Engineer and his years as a special project engineer Keith has experienced the loss of institutional knowledge with the ever-changing work force. Keith has also provided training and discussions with the Boy Scout Leaders in his Troop to continue the traditions. Keith is a registered Professional Engineer in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.