Strategies for Filling Knowledge Gaps on Teams

We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” While it’s true that connections can land you a job, your own skills and knowledge base will have a much bigger impact on how effective you are at it.

Knowledge management is a key part of the job description for team leaders. Working to fill knowledge and skills gaps is a vital business goal for any company that hopes to maximize the potential of its workforce. Providing people with the tools and knowledge they need to do their jobs is key to the employee experience.

So, how can you make sure that your team members have all the relevant information and know-how needed to excel at their roles? You use this step-by-step guide to filling knowledge gaps in teams.

What are knowledge gaps?

Anytime there’s a disparity between the knowledge team members have and the knowledge they need to achieve organizational objectives, it’s known as a knowledge gap. 

Knowledge gaps can exist at the individual level, with a single team member lacking the knowledge they need. But they can also exist across the entire team and organization at large.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways for companies to identify and fill these knowledge gaps. Internal communications, performance reviews, and benchmarking are just a few of the ways companies can highlight and fill knowledge gaps to empower their workforces.

Strategies for filling knowledge gaps

Around 75% of US employers say they have difficulties finding talent with the right skill sets. However, when you can effectively teach your employees the critical knowledge and competencies they need, developing a skilled workforce becomes much easier.

To help you get started, here are seven powerful strategies for closing knowledge gaps on your team.

1. Use collaborative platforms to share knowledge

Sharing new knowledge with team members is a whole lot easier when you use the right internal communication tools! Just over 40% of US employees work remotely or on a hybrid schedule. So, giving your team tools that facilitate the efficient flow of knowledge, regardless of where they’re located, is now more important than ever.

Collaborative platforms and knowledge management software provide employees with a comprehensive digital work environment. This includes tools and resources like knowledge bases, real-time communication tools, and more. 

By using these platforms, companies can eliminate inefficiencies in communication and make knowledge transfer a much smoother and more reliable process.

Looking for a collaborative platform that will ensure your team members have easy access to the important knowledge they need? Workvivo’s employee engagement platform is an excellent solution to consider! 

Workvivo offers a social intranet, community spaces, real-time communication tools, and more to facilitate the flow of information across an entire organization.

2. Offer training for emerging technologies

As we discussed in the previous section, technology can be a great way to help close knowledge gaps. However, there are also instances where technology can create its own knowledge gaps. 

Anytime your company adopts a new technology, it’s essential to provide your employees with thorough training on how to use it. These training programs can take a variety of forms, from Zoom meetings to workshops to online courses. 

When choosing which type of training program will be most effective, consider your team members’ various learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc.). This will help you develop training programs that are accessible and beneficial to the whole team.

3. Create mentorship and coaching opportunities

When it comes to filling knowledge gaps, few things are more effective than personalized, one-on-one training. Providing scheduled, structured one-on-one training isn’t always feasible for large organizations. But what you can do is create opportunities for mentorship and coaching to happen organically.

This starts with prioritizing employee listening and making sure that employees feel comfortable asking for help. Creating a culture that values mentorship and collaboration will also go a long way.

Of course, you can also take more direct steps to create mentorship and coaching opportunities. Assigning a mentor to new hires is one common initiative – it’s a great way to facilitate knowledge exchange right from the start.

Creating these mentorship and coaching opportunities helps with up-skilling and filling knowledge gaps. But it can also help boost employee satisfaction and retention by strengthening your workplace culture and creating powerful team bonds.

4. Hold lunch-and-learns and workshops

Short, focused training sessions like lunch-and-learns and workshops provide opportunities to target specific knowledge gaps swiftly and collaboratively. These types of training sessions are typically only 45 minutes to an hour long. So, once again, it’s important to keep them focused.

To keep your workshops and lunch-and-learns focused and productive, choose training formats that are conducive to shorter sessions. This can include things like interactive discussions, hands-on activities, or brief presentations.

Ideally, you should also highlight a single knowledge gap you’re looking to fill and keep the session focused on just that one topic. This will help you make the most of the brief time you have available and keep you from veering into information-overload territory.

5. Collaborate with external experts and consultants

There comes a point when internal resources may not be sufficient to effectively fill knowledge gaps. In these cases, companies can often benefit by bringing in external consultants and subject matter experts.

But how do you know when it’s time to call in outside help? The biggest indicator that external assistance may be required is when the knowledge gap exists across the entire organization. If there’s a complex or niche topic that no one in your company is an expert in, you may need to bring in someone who is.

Another advantage of collaborating with external experts and consultants is that these individuals are often excellent teachers. It’s been said before that just because you know something doesn’t mean you are good at teaching it to others. 

However, external consultants and subject matter experts make a career out of sharing their knowledge. So they’re often highly skilled at breaking down complex topics in a way that’s easy for their entire audience to understand.

6. Provide resources for self-directed learning

Empowering employees with resources for self-directed learning allows them to take ownership of their professional development. It also makes learning convenient and accessible, especially for employees who may hesitate to reach out to someone directly for help. Plus, it enables employees to learn at their own pace.

While there are a lot of benefits to self-directed learning, it’s also important to recognize its shortcomings. Self-directed learning can work wonderfully for certain topics and individuals, but it’s also essential to offer guidance and support to ensure learners stay on track.

Tracking progress through assessments, certifications, or learning logs will help you monitor the effectiveness of your self-directed learning efforts. If they’re not achieving the desired results, you can take a step back and reassess your approach.

7. Leverage team expertise

If you’ve assembled a talented team, then chances are your team members have plenty of combined expertise that you could use to fill knowledge gaps. However, tapping into this expertise isn’t always as easy as it might seem.

To encourage knowledge sharing between team members, you first need to establish a culture of open communication and honest feedback.

You can also leverage team expertise more directly by selecting team members to host training sessions, but it’s important to avoid favoritism. Establishing clear criteria for selecting trainers and making sure that their presentations are inclusive and accessible to all team members will help here.

Measuring the success of your programs

Implementing training and knowledge-sharing programs is just the first step to addressing knowledge gaps within your organization. To ensure that they are effective, you’ll also need to measure the success of your programs and adjust them accordingly.

Here are a few ways to go about this:

• Set clear objectives and KPIs that focus on specific knowledge gaps and align with the company’s overarching goals
• Conduct pre and post-assessments to gauge the impact of training programs on participants' knowledge, skills, and performance
• Gather employee feedback on their experience with the programs and their ideas for improvements
• Track performance metrics related to job performance and productivity, such as customer satisfaction scores and project completion rates.

Build the knowledge-sharing hub your company has always needed with Workvivo

Filling knowledge gaps is a vital initiative for any company that wants to unleash the full potential of its workforce. By implementing the right tools and training programs, you can make it easy for your employees to develop their skills and fill the gaps in their knowledge, ultimately improving their job satisfaction.

With Workvivo’s comprehensive knowledge-sharing platform, you can create a centralized hub where employees can collaborate, access resources, give feedback, and more.

Build a knowledge-sharing hub that will connect and empower your workforce – book a free Workvivo demo today!