Without a doubt, there is a wealth of business knowledge and experience in every successful organization. This base of information is indeed a valuable asset. However, in many cases, small and mid-sized companies do not really avail themselves of its benefits.
The problem for most of these smaller companies lies in the faulty or incomplete communication of the knowledge and experience of their most competent and productive members. While larger companies can invest the necessary funds to create in a dedicated “communications” team, smaller companies, in the past, have relied on company handbooks, policy manuals and simple “word of mouth” to promulgate their best practices.
This process may have worked in the past but progressive, 21st century companies must also leverage the best of technology and use an HRIS system to get the most out of their “knowledge base” and to communicate it effectively. Here are three compelling reasons to do so:
Establish Baseline Competency
The best and brightest in your company are not always available for immediate consultation when a problem arises. An online, archived set of job guides to deal with the most common situations will allow your least experienced managers the opportunity to be somewhat mentored before they deal with an unknown problem. While the chosen solution will not always be optimal, a set of summarized “cheat sheets” will help your managers to avoid the most obvious problems in the most expeditious – and more importantly – most consistent manner possible.
Allow the Mastering of the Intricacies
Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are the HCM capabilities of your staff. An online database of potentially problematic situations and possible resolutions is a great learning resource for any managerial staff. Documenting the key “takeaways” and then detailing the steps to solve a problem situation is only the beginning of the process. In addition, if you are afraid that your managers are not taking advantage of these tools, learning modules can be developed, deployed and monitored by the HRIS to ensure that your managers are getting and understanding the info – whether they feel the need to do so or not.
Improve the Process through Collaboration
The last area where an HRIS knowledge base can have a significant effect on your company is in the collaborative area. While it is not always possible to bring your entire staff together to brainstorm or critique each others’ work, an HRIS can provide a convenient and non-threatening way to communicate. The real benefit of this process is that a wide variety of alternate solutions can be offered for resolving a situation and a set of “best practices” developed.
Why Use an HRIS?
Building a knowledge base is fundamental to building a successful business. An HRIS makes the entire process a significantly easier one. It is imperative to involve everyone in the process but most especially the most valued members of the team. In this way, even if an employee moves on to “bigger and better” things at a different company, you will still retain some of their value.
As you can see, there is a wealth of information that must be documented and cataloged to make any HRIS system workable and beneficial. Still, it is easy enough to start small and develop as you go along. The information is available wherever a device and an Internet connection is available and it is online, 24/7.
Lastly, the ultimate beauty of working with an HRIS knowledge base is that it is an interactive process that builds on and self-reinforces itself. In short, any company, no matter the size, can implement one and then build on its success. Consider one for your business.
