Reluctance to Share Information

Asians are generally slow in sharing information, especially with people that are not familiar with. In the perfect knowledge-sharing model, managers are valued not because they know more than their staff, but because they can quickly communicate what they know and get staff members to do the same with the others.

By DAVID WEE

How many are comfortable sharing what they know? Clearly, if the people responsible for managing, promoting, and leading the sharing knowledge are uncomfortable about sharing, we have a big human problem, not a technology problem.

In the perfect knowledge-sharing model, managers are valued not because they know more than their staff, but because they can quickly communicate what they know and get staff members to do the same with the others. Leaders build environments of trust and mutual respect where creative contribution is nurtured, and where employees at all levels understand that being succesful in this networked world increasingly requires collaboration.

This is easier said than done. There are many reasons why people are reluctant to share what they know. They are busy and don't have time to share. They forget to share. They don't want the additional work and responsibility that goes with sharing.

Here are the top four reasons why people don't tell what they know:

1. People believe that knowledge is power
"If I know something you don't know, I have something over you," they say.

Most people still struggle with the idea that "if I tell you what I know, I lose something". When a company's evaluation, promotion, and compensation are based on relative numbers, the perception is that sharing knowledge will reduce the chance of personal success.

Therefore, the obvious solution is to change the reward system. Find ways to reinforce and reward knowledge sharing. Recognise and promote people who learn, teach, and share. In all best-practices companies, hoarding knowledge and failing to build on ideas of others have visible and sometimes serious career consequences. Leverage on what you know by educating colleagues, writing, helping others, and teaching junior staff is how you build your reputation as a world-class thought leader.

2. People are insecure about the value of their knowledge
People tend to underestimate life experiences and for some without a formal education, it is hard for them to believe that they can add valie to life in a very different way.

There are mini-cultures in every organisation. Regardless of the overall corporate culture, individual managers and team leaders can nurture a climate for collaboration within their own work group. The best of these leaders do so by taking the time and effort necessary to make people feel safe and valued. They emphasise people's strengths while encouraging the sharing of mistakes and lessons learned. They set clear expectations for outcomes and clarify individual roles. They help all members recognise what each of them brings to the team. They model openness, vulnerability, and honesty. They tell stories of group successes and personal challenges. Most of all, they encourage and respect everyone's contribution.

3. People don't trust each other
One common remark is: "I didn't know the other members of the team personally, so I didn't trust them."

A culture for collaboration must be based on trust. Yet, too often, in the rush to get started on a project, we get groups of people together and tell them to get to work. This approach proves less than productive, as the group hasn't had time to discover each other's strengths and weakness nor to develop a comman understanding and vision of the project.

Even the motivation for individuals to contribute knowledge to an electronic database is largely dependent on the relationship of the members who use the system. If individuals do not trust others with their knowledge, or don't trust that others will contribute in kind, it is unlikely that the system will be effective. Technology can facilitate knowledge sharing but it is trust that enables it.

Since some people are naturally reluctant to share information with others when they don't know them well enough, the solution begins with creating opportunities for people to meet and interact in both formal and informal settings. Don't rush them. Give them time to develop relationships, to evaluate each other's strengths and weaknesses well enough to adapt constructively to them. Taking time to build this social capital at the beginning of a project increases the effectiveness of the team later.

Trust is fragile. Built slowly over time, it grows as people take small risks and wait for those acts of faith to be justified and reciprocated. Unless there are reserves of trust, it can be destroyed overnight. When trust is pervasive, it becomes the force that energises teammates, releases creative contribution, and makes working together both productive and a joy.

4. Employees are afraid of negative consequences
We often hear this remark: "I was afraid that my idea would be ridiculed if it were slightly 'over the top,' rather than looked at as a useful brain-storming point."

The big obstacle to innovation is "any process, educational, scientific, or organisational, that stops the flow of ideas."

It becomes crucial then, to eliminate the barriers to the free flow of ideas. Everyone has knowledge that will be important to someone else, and you never know whose input is going to become an essential part of a solution.

When insights and opinions are ridiculed, criticised or ignored, people feel threatened and "punished" for contributing. They typically react by withdrawing from the conversation.

Conversely, when people are free to ask "dumb" questions, challenge the rules, and offer novel or even bizarre suggestions, then sharing knowledge becomes a creative process of blending diverse opinion, expertise, and perspectives towards a shared objective.


David Wee is CEO of DW Associates Pte Ltd and Asia Speakers Bureau.




Extracted from Today's Manager / Dec 2005-Jan 2006