From structure to culture: knowledge culture in teams

Is knowledge power?

As the saying goes: "Knowledge is power". This is not entirely wrong: those who are familiar with a topic automatically have an influence on decisions. In every team, there are people who use their expertise to help set the course. This is normal and necessary. If it is clear who knows what and this knowledge is shared openly, a good knowledge environment is created in which people are happy to share. However, it is precisely at this point that knowledge can also become a currency and where knowledge is power, a divide quickly arises.
In the wrong environment, this spirit can also turn into a competitive situation. On a large scale, you can see this in competing companies, for example: innovations in particular are kept strictly secret so that competitors cannot use the valuable knowledge for themselves. In the worst-case scenario, this can also happen within a team: those who share their knowledge must be afraid of losing power. If I share my knowledge, I may no longer be ahead of the others. Such a competitive environment is dangerous for companies, because where employees no longer share their knowledge with each other, ideas reach the limits of the individual. To prevent this situation from arising in the first place, it is important to know how companies can create the right environment for a thriving knowledge culture. This is the only way for ideas to grow and innovations to emerge.

Those who feel good are also happy to share

The environment and the relationship are what counts. Because those who feel good are happy to share. And those who feel heard and valued are even more willing to share. But as a manager, how do you create an environment in which the team is happy to share knowledge? In other words, a good knowledge environment. The keyword here is psychological safety. This describes a working atmosphere in which employees are not afraid to share their knowledge, ask questions or even admit that they don't know something. In such an environment, it is not about pure performance, but about trust and mutual respect. Those who feel psychologically secure do not hold back knowledge, do not hoard it, but share experiences because they know that mistakes are not punished, but seen as an opportunity to learn.

In order to create such a working environment, it is particularly important for managers to place themselves not above but next to their employees and in the team. The flawless, untouchable boss who works more and better than everyone else is not just a myth, it is bad for the team spirit. Because if the role model does not allow themselves to make mistakes or punishes them, the fear of mistakes grows in the group. This does not mean that managers should make their work extra bad, the keyword here is rather the error culture, i.e. dealing with mistakes. These should be more of a learning opportunity than a crash moment, of course only in an appropriate setting.

This also includes a certain vulnerability as a team leader. Not knowing something is not a sign of weakness that should be covered up, but an opportunity to learn something new. And this is exactly what the management level should exemplify to the team, because more power does not mean more knowledge. At eye level, there is less competition and knowledge can be shared more easily.

Shared knowledge is double knowledge

Once the right environment has been created for a positive knowledge culture in the team, the journey is not over yet. Employees must also be motivated to actually share this knowledge. Financial incentives are less helpful than genuine appreciation. Studies show that bonuses or premiums often have the opposite effect: instead of promoting exchange, they fuel competition. Those who feel they have to compete with others for a reward prefer to keep their knowledge to themselves. Managers should therefore focus on honest recognition, trust and the feeling of being part of a whole. When employees experience that their contribution is seen and valued, they are intrinsically motivated to pass on their own knowledge.
A strong knowledge culture also thrives on teams really growing together. Those who exchange ideas outside of the office, for example over lunch, after work or during joint activities, often only discover the potential of others. Perhaps the colleague from Controlling has a knack for communication in her private life or the colleague from IT has a good flair for presentations. Such connections are not made at the push of a button, but through trust, interest and encounters at eye level.

And finally, it is important that employees dare to speak up when they see or know something. Good leadership encourages them to contribute their ideas, ask questions and sometimes think critically. This turns individual voices into shared knowledge and knowledge into a movement that moves the company forward.

Our four hacks for a good knowledge environment in your team

A good knowledge culture does not just happen by itself. It needs structures that facilitate exchange and make knowledge visible. A few simple but effective approaches can help to achieve this in everyday life. We have four of them for you here directly from our company:

1. manage knowledge

In most teams, there are certain processes, working methods or data that everyone works with. Collecting this hard knowledge and managing it in a kind of team-internal wiki or database makes processes faster and creates a place to turn to first if knowledge is missing. Without major thresholds and without leaving the flow.

2. communicate knowledge

Regular exchange is important, but only if it makes sense. Instead of endless jour fixes that hardly help anyone, short, structured rounds with fixed questions and a clear time limit per person help. This keeps the exchange focused, allows questions to be asked and ensures that knowledge is really shared and time is not wasted.

3. clearly distribute knowledge

Knowledge needs direction in projects. If roles are clearly defined, everyone knows who is responsible for what and who has what knowledge. This creates security. Leadership can also change: Whoever leads one project can be a member of the next. This creates a culture of equals in which knowledge flows independently of hierarchies.

4. bring knowledge with you

Many good ideas are not generated at a desk, but over coffee or after work. Joint breaks or small meetings outside of work create trust and often bring to light knowledge that remains hidden in everyday life. Your colleague may not have learned the necessary knowledge through her work, but through a hobby that you don't yet know about. When private and professional knowledge are allowed to mix, the whole team benefits in the end.

Author: Marie Spies