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Writer's pictureMeirav Barsadeh

Distilling Insights: Rules for Extracting Meaningful Knowledge from Experience

Updated: 2 days ago


A laptop displaying various icons on its screen, accompanied by a notebook resting on the table beside it.

Knowledge-rich organizations typically store their knowledge in documents such as procedures, training materials, etc. This is known as documented knowledge.


Alongside these documents, there exists a great deal of undocumented, "soft" knowledge, held by employees at various levels. This is known as tacit knowledge. It is highly recommended to collect, distill, and create insights from this tacit knowledge, and then integrate the insights into work processes, making them freely and easily available to all employees.


An insights repository is a digital tool that consolidates information, ideas, and insights gathered from various sources, such as employee experiences, lesson-learning processes, and previous cases. It is designed to provide employees and managers with convenient access to essential information, facilitate search capabilities, and improve organizational decision-making processes.


The transition from document sharing to creating an insights repository represents a fundamental shift in the approach to organizational Knowledge Management. Knowledge is not just preserved and documented, but also processed and made accessible, all to create meaningful organizational learning.


While document sharing focuses on physical and organized documentation, an insights repository focuses on understanding and making accessible the information beyond what's written, the tacit content, and informal knowledge based on personal experience and conclusions that aren't always documented.


How is this done in practice?

Here are 8 rules of thumb for processing and extracting insights:

  1. Generalization - An insight is a response to a situation or an event. When formulating the insight, it's recommended to add which situations and circumstances might be relevant for its implementation. These details will help employees filter and retrieve information accurately and effectively, understand the proper context in which to apply it, evaluate the insight's suitability for the specific situation, and use it optimally to make more informed decisions.

  2. Added Value - A good insight should innovate something significant to the user, different approaches, or creative solutions, both on practical and theoretical levels. It not only adds knowledge but also strengthens the user's decision-making ability. Ask yourself if and by what metrics this insight will help, for example - in performance improvement, work time reduction, etc.

  3. Practicality - Ensures that the insight can be implemented in practice. Including examples or scenarios where the insight can be applied will help users understand the context and see how they can use it themselves. If possible, detail the steps required to implement the insight.

  4. Rationale - Explains the need and justification for writing the insight. The rationale demonstrates why the insight is relevant and what problems it solves. The clearer the rationale, the more credible and acceptable the insight will appear to the reader. Try to formulate the rationale as a story or an anecdote, incorporate references to challenges, conflicts, or thoughts, to create an emotional connection and emphasize the context in which it was written.

  5. Agreement - When there is broad agreement, the chance of successfully implementing the insight increases. It's recommended to read the insight and check: Could objections arise? Could there be difficulty in implementation? If the answer is yes, return and refine the wording to gain broad support and cooperation, thus contributing to positive organizational growth and learning.

  6. Merging - An insights repository is a dynamic product. As the repository expands, there may be situations where one insight somewhat repeats content that has already been collected and written. It's recommended to check from time to time: Are there duplications? Can two insights be combined into one? Are there contradictions between several insights? Users' trust in the insights’ repository is based on the reliability of its content and can significantly increase its usability.

  7. User Clarity - Read the insight carefully and ensure that it's clear and its message is conveyed accurately. Is every sentence understandable? Are there sections that can be fine-tuned or simplified? Consider that not all readers have encountered the situation that led to writing the insight, yet they may find in it a solution and course of action. The writing should consider these users too, so it's recommended to include brief explanations and examples where needed.

  8. Closing the Loop - At the end of the writing process, return and examine the insight. Does it provide an appropriate response to the need? Does it need refinement? It's important to check and ensure that the insight is not just information but also a practical tool that can drive change.


In ROM, we manage our internal knowledge in an organized and focused manner, as part of our professional approach and within the framework of the ISO30401 Knowledge Management Standard. Hence, we have an internal insights repository dealing with various topics related to the world of Knowledge Management, based on the knowledge and personal experience of all employees. The repository allows us, the employees, easy access to relevant content, encourages collaboration and innovation, and ensures that our knowledge remains available and relevant over time.


By sharing knowledge in the repository, we aim to increase our common denominator as employees and continue to learn and develop professionally.


We invite you to join us and get to know the world of insights and lessons learned.


For further reading, click here.


 

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