Discover the benefits of leveraging tribal knowledge and how our MES solution can streamline the capture, facilitate access and make effective use of this information to increase the competitiveness of your business.
Tribal knowledge is a form of knowledge specific to an organization and its members that is passed on orally from one employee to another – from instructions for manufacturing a product to general information about certain machinery, customers and suppliers.
Although it can be a real challenge, many companies try to capture and document all this knowledge in order to become more efficient, productive and competitive. In doing so, they are increasingly relying on new technologies and the use of Industry 4.0 solutions such as Mapex.
Read on to find out what are the drawbacks of letting this wisdom slip away and how you can retain it with the help of our MES solution.
Disadvantages of continuing to rely on the wisdom of the few
Having skilled and experienced professionals within the organization is always good news. However, it is recommended that the company is able to make the most of this knowledge and share it with the rest of the team. Otherwise, this know-how…
1. Can be easily lost
One of the most serious problems with tribal knowledge is that it can be lost when members of the group who have this knowledge retire, change companies, or even pass away. When this happens, the knowledge goes with them and is not transmitted to others, creating a skills gap within the organization.
2. It will be very hard to replicate
Another problem with tribal knowledge is that it can be difficult for others to replicate, understand or take advantage of. This is because it is often rooted in a worker’s personal experience or intuition rather than based on formal training or documentation.
3. Can lead to inefficiency
Two people may have different ways of performing the same task, but only one of them knows the “right” way to do it. This can create confusion and frustration, leading to inefficiency and wasted time and resources.
4. May foster a sense of elitism
While a valuable asset, tribal wisdom can also lead to tension and conflict, and ultimately complicate teamwork and collaboration.
5. Can be a barrier to innovation
In organizations that blindly trust in the tribal knowledge of some of its members, it is very likely that, due to fear of change, there are brakes to innovation and to the commitment to ideas or methodologies that may be more beneficial to the business in the long run.
Benefits of retaining and encouraging the transmission of tribal knowledge
Despite the challenges of managing tribal knowledge, retaining and capturing this wisdom in an industrial enterprise can provide many benefits. Here are some of the most important:
- Avoid loss of critical knowledge.
- Ensure that employees use the most efficient and effective methods in their daily work.
- Improve productivity and reduce errors and waste.
- Streamline decision making.
- Increase product quality by implementing best practices.
- Reduce training and learning time.
- Leverage employee expertise to drive innovation and continuous improvement.
- Become more competitive.
- Improve customer satisfaction.
- Strengthen organizational culture and the feeling of belonging and connection among employees.
3 ways to capture tribal knowledge with Mapex
An MES system like Mapex can play a key role in capturing and leveraging tribal knowledge in industrial companies. Let’s see why.
1. Centralization of information
An MES solution allows critical information to be collected and stored on a single platform, making it easy for all employees to access and search for knowledge without having to resort to paper documents, Excel files, etc.
Moreover, considering that an MES system collects and analyzes a large amount of data directly from the teams, this information can be combined with tribal knowledge and obtain even more valuable answers for strategic decision making.
2. Documentation of processes
An MES solution it is a key tool for documenting and standardizing manufacturing processes, and for capturing the tacit knowledge of employees and converting it into explicit information that can be shared and used more effectively by all team members.
3. Management of staff training level
The transmission of tribal knowledge is especially important in companies that carry out complex and highly critical processes. In these cases, having a multi-skilled workforce is essential to meet market demands and be competitive.
Mapex can become your best ally when it comes to ensuring that more than one person is capable of assuming a given role or functions. Thanks to the digitalization of the ILUO system, you can keep track of the professionalism levels of your employees and quickly identify their strengths and skills gaps in order to ensure operational continuity and reduce the risk of loss of know-how.
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