I’m recalling a memory of a rather stubborn little girl who was set on doing things her own way.  She wouldn’t walk in public until around 15 months, presumably because she didn’t want to look foolish to herself or anyone else.  A little later, she developed this habit of turning her head and closing her eyes when she didn’t want to hear what was being told to her.  To this day, she still likes to figure things out for herself – all on her own terms.

It’s not a direct parallel and certainly I take pride in the way my youngest daughter approaches things, but it does make me think of the stubborn nature of some people on my teams in the past and in organizations I’ve known.  They actually encourage sequestered tribal knowledge because they only want to see and know their own piece of the bigger puzzle.  Maybe they think they maintain some control that way … or maybe they are too scared to branch out.  Perhaps they just don’t like change.  In any case, they put on blinders and encourage others to do the same.  For them, shared knowledge is to be shunned.  Secret knowledge is to be savored.

WHAT’S MINE IS MINE
In my past two posts, I talked about the knowledge that gets away when a seasoned resource leaves the company and the near mindless repetition of things out of habit.  Both of those variants of tribal knowledge have negative impacts on projects and companies around the globe.  But there is another type of tribal knowledge – and it may be a bigger deal than either of those.  All because of intentional stubbornness that says what’s ours is ours and what’s yours is yours … and that all suits everybody fine right up until it doesn’t.

If you read much about lean principles, you know that companies (or even groups) want to wring every bit if waste out of their processes and improve until improvement won’t bring any more value.  But all too often, we stop at our own borders and let the rest of the operation (or process chain) take care of itself.  We create little fiefdoms we are very proud of – and we treat the knowledge we create as something private … something for the tribe and the tribe alone.  It goes far beyond legitimate trade secrets, and it will eat away at the much greater good if we allow it to live.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS
True power, and the elevation of quality, comes from breaking down barriers and bridging gaps.  Shared knowledge breeds collaboration – that effect that produces better results than any one person or group could have devised by themselves.  Codifying and sharing what was previously horded tribal knowledge is a critical element in that process.  Tearing down walls gives way to building bridges.

In this global economy that shrinks time zones and continents, we also need to shrink the secret knowledge that binds us rather than frees us to be better.  Continuous improvement only continues when we take that fresh approach.  It lifts us up out of the doldrums of mediocrity – the mediocrity we think is very good but isn’t – and it leaves tribal knowledge far behind.  We know and share, and we are better teams who produce better results.  It still takes intent on our part, but we open up instead of hold back.

Bio:

Mark Moore has held multiple professional positions in IT and business for nearly three decades serving organizations both small and large, public and private.  With over half that time as a project manager, he has successfully managed major initiatives spanning multiple years with a cost of over $3 Million and teams of over 250 people.  He has been a Project Management Professional since 2002, served as President of the PMI Western Michigan Chapter, and presented at multiple NCPMI Annual Events.  Mark holds a Masters of Education degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in Adult Education and Training.  He is an experienced writer, speaker and presenter on project management and team building topics.  Mark is the Principal Consultant for Broken Arrow Associates, LTD.  He and his family live in a rural area outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.

To contact Mark for opportunities or questions, send an e-mail to info@baa-ltd.com.