Formatted Title

Internal Technology Transfer: How to Outcompete TikTok for Your Staff’s Attention

Background/Objectives

The transfer of knowledge from one individual to others is a key element of growth for any organization.  Without this, we’d each reinvent the wheel each time a new problem came up and be far less efficient as a result.  Continuing education is required to maintain most professional certifications.  Many professionals, particularly those who are newer to the industry, are hungry for ways to continue their technical growth.    However, the growing multitude of information sources, coupled with waning attentions spans and decreased focus on factual accuracy, poses challenges to effective knowledge transfer within the environmental industry. 

Approach/Activities

This presentation explores the various tools used by organizations in the environmental industry to facilitate knowledge exchange.  It provides insights into the strategies utilized by the author’s organization, Trihydro Corporation, as well as other organizations in the environmental industry.  Trihydro’s efforts collectively fall within the umbrella of our Technical Leadership Program (TLP), an employee-driven committee dedicated to stewarding our organization’s technical capabilities through live and recorded events.  Some of these come from external sources, but the majority are developed internally and are designed to accommodate remote participation. 

Results/Lessons Learned

Technology transfer has proven to be a challenging endeavor, affected by limited personal or professional capacity and subjectivity in defining success.   A technical training or presentation may miss the mark for one attendee while being exactly what someone else wanted to hear.  The number of platforms available to share information is continually in flux.  Those charged with directing the technology transfer must balance their time with other demands.  Lessons learned internally include the need to have a strong internal champion.  Recurring events that a critical of staff to support such that they become self-sustaining tend to be more successful than one-time efforts.  Younger professionals wish to be engaged but may sometimes perceive the material as overly technical and therefore intended for a more senior audience.  Implementing effective tracking mechanisms for the dissemination of knowledge is vital for gauging the impact of these initiatives and ensuring that knowledge transfer efforts yield tangible results which support overarching goals.