Teams are increasingly the organizational “vehicle ” of choice for getting work done. Companies are realizing that teams are the most effective way to quickly create value as it relates to products and services. What happens, however, when key members of a team leave or a product is handed off from one team to another or you acquire a new product or service, but decide not to acquire the people? Let's play a little "Jeopardy" - the Answer is...your important project is over, but a new and very similar project is about to start up, and you need to make the knowledge and experience of the first team available to the next team. The Question...What is ‘Team Knowledge Transfer’? It is a planned process to capture and transfer knowledge and experience from one team to another in transitions and in hand-offs. It ensures a smooth transition in running the business, protection of your Intellectual Capital, accelerated team learning, better decision-making, and enhanced performance. Why do Team Knowledge Transfer?

• Ensure business continuity the new team can run the business without significant disruptions
• Increase collaboration and accelerate team learning
• Identify and plan for critical issues currently and in the future just in time
• Increase your team’s ability to innovate

There are two kinds of knowledge that must be captured; explicit and tacit. 'Explicit' knowledge is the “what ” - the new sales strategy, the work process, the partnership agreement. 'Tacit' knowledge is the "how" - what was the rationale and the history behind that sales strategy, how is work actually done within that process, how does that partnership really work? Here are some typical team-related situations were there is potential loss of business critical knowledge if nothing is done proactively:

• Team Hand-Offs —Transfer deeply held knowledge from one group of team members to another quickly, effectively, and with minimal seepage
• Reorganization —Reorganization of a team or function that requires redefinition of roles, the transfer / seamless transition of existing know-how, and assessment of knowledge gaps that need to be closed
• External or Internal Mergers, or Acquisitions —Transfer team knowledge to the new function or team

Team Knowledge Transfer increases value for your organization by creating synergies through knowledge integration. The business gains in the short-term through the closing of knowledge gaps and the transfer of best practices / sharing of lessons learned. This results in a more efficient organization through process improvements and organizational change, and through increases in employee retention and morale. In the long-term, you will have retained your “corporate memory”, kept control of your intellectual capital, and made better decisions by identifying trends and patterns in data. Wolf Management Consultants, LLC, can help you to create a process whereby your teams will keep and understand their hard won knowledge, use it to accelerate progress and learning, and can transfer it within the organization seamlessly when / where it is most needed.