Be cognizant of the need to share wisely

Renuka Bery, Knowledge Management Specialist, Hygiene Improvement Project (HIP), Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC.

As I read these postings about knowledge sharing, several issues keep reverberating for me.

First, yes, knowledge sharing is important and people usually have good intentions to share knowledge…but it takes time and resources…and most people, organizations, and networks usually don’t take or have the time and in many cases, the resources, to share their knowledge. And while mechanisms exist for sharing knowledge, they have to be used deliberately and carefully to minimize wasting time and resources.

Second, context is critical. Someone must have a reason to absorb the information being shared. If the knowledge is not relevant, it is not useful. Though some may disagree, I think knowledge sharing must be strategic to ensure that what is shared is relevant, valued and used.

Third, the uptake of knowledge requires discernment. In this day and age of the Internet, the world is awash in information and as consumers we must be able to sort through, filter and choose that information and knowledge that we can use. But such filtering also requires time and discernment to recognize the information that is valid.

Thus, my point is that as we share knowledge we must be cognizant of the need to share wisely.