Tacit knowledge is the knowledge that people gain from experience. It is the knowledge that lives inside people’s heads; it is institutional memory. Capturing tacit knowledge is key to a smooth running organization, because transitions can be managed more effectively.

Tacit knowledge is difficult to capture, so, in general, we only chip away at it. Onboarding is a good example of passing on tacit knowledge. Onboarding helps new employees get up to speed a little faster by passing along nuggets of knowledge that might otherwise take them a long time to figure out themselves. The difference between the internal search engine and the company-wide Google branded engine, providing a What to Store Where handout and showing people how to download the people search extension are some examples of very basic knowledge to include in onboarding.

The problem comes as people gain more experience and need more specific or specialized knowledge. More specialized knowledge is often held by fewer people. Because those people have been with the company longer or were recently hired for that specialized knowledge, they have less time to write down the processes. In some companies, such specialized knowledge may be considered job security. Some people don’t share it in case it leads to forced early retirement or a layoff. In general, however, passing on specialized knowledge leads to more collaborations and greater innovation.

There are three basic tools anyone can use to start capturing tacit knowledge: video-to-text transcription, Lessons Learned and a standard project folder structure. All captured information should be managed in a KM platform, and accessible through an intuitive web interface.

Saying these can be used means the possibility is there. Video-to-text transcription is the most complex and expensive. Still, anyone can record a video and store it for later transcription. Lessons Learned can be organized using simple tools such as Excel or Google Sheets. Finally, a standard project folder structure should be de rigeur in every company. Being creative with folders only leads to confusion and time wasting.

Companies need to become ever more agile, which means that established processes and information sharing practices become increasingly outdated. Fostering collaboration based on real expertise by combining capabilities is an important process to develop. If you can help colleagues to find an expert inside their division and ask questions while simultaneously building a knowledge base out of the questions and their answers, you are further ahead than most companies. At the very least, such a process enables wider knowledge sharing.

The sharing, and subsequent capturing of tacit knowledge is freeing. By sharing knowledge, not only can it be improved, but it gives people space to create new processes, new drugs and, thus, new tacit knowledge. People who share their knowledge are revered and consulted on related projects.

There are other techniques you can use to capture tacit knowledge right now:

• Communities of Practice
• Shadowing/ Mentoring
• Podcasts
• Interviews
• Video meetings
• Speaker series

Use templates to create a Community of Practice. Using an established infrastructure with additional expertise will allow people to connect with like-minded colleagues at a similar level. Having a space with which to share specialized knowledge in a give and take manner makes sharing tacit knowledge more natural. Working together cross-functionally, colleagues can accomplish more than they can as individuals.

Shadowing and mentoring is a tried and true method that can take a few different forms. Often a younger/less experienced member of a team will follow a more experienced team member around as they do parts of their job. In some cases the shadower just observes. In other cases, the shadowee or mentor explains everything they do in real time. In the first instance, the shadower often doesn’t get all the information the shadowee has to offer since there is only so much a person can glean when watching someone write or read on their computer. When the shadowee has to explain everything, the shadower gets a lot more information, but the process can be exhausting and frustrating for the shadowee, which is not conducive to transferring tacit knowledge. Additionally, the process makes their job take more time, so it doesn’t make sense to have a shadow 40 hours per week.

Podcasts and interviews can be the same. They have subtle differences. Being interviewed on a podcast can make the person holding the tacit knowledge feel important. Also, there is an element of security as usually there isn’t a live audience. The interview is recorded and can then be available for people to hear later.

In a regular interview, it is important for the event to be recorded in some way. Often, interviews take place in front of an audience, which may not be as comfortable for the interviewee. A preset list of questions, furnished in advance, helps the interviewee feel prepared and more comfortable. Video or tape recording the interview is critical for future reference.

Video meetings can also be recorded, depending on company policy. Video meetings are good, because the interviewee can show slides as well. The visual aspect engages different senses and can help the information be assimilated better. On the downside, editing can be required to focus the video for future viewing.

Finally, many departments have speaker events or forums. Colleagues can learn a lot from outside speakers. However, hosting internal people is a great way to gather tacit knowledge. The topics may be focused, but every little bit helps. Often these are hosted online and can easily be recorded.

Get started now capturing tacit knowledge. Every little bit helps and eventually you will have a library of information from our experts that we can use to further innovate. Furthering innovations helps us help more patients.

-A version of this article was first published at Roche and Genentech-