1. Knowledge and ideas exchange channels – different ways through which knowledge flow

As you have realized by now, knowledge and ideas flow all around us and through all the connections we have. Either intentional or unintentional knowledge and ideas sharing, each one of our relations networks – professional and personal – provides knowledge that can contribute for the organizational performance improvement and innovation.

Source: https://pixabay.com/pt/photos/livro-livros-c%c3%adrculo-encaracolado-2869/ (photo by PublicDomainPictures)

We can categorize some of the channels through which we receive knowledge, which will help you think about your own organizational context and better understand where your channels are to receive and share knowledge and ideas,

• FDI – Foreign Direct Investment – whenever an organization invests in another country, there will be an exchange of knowledge. The organization will receive knowledge from those relation that will be created in the new country (employees, local managers, business partners, new social networks) and will share knowledge with the new context and with the new relationships. Maybe you are thinking this is not your “championship” but take a minute to think on a possible new foreign company creating a new plant in the industrial area you have your own company. There is quite a good chance that at some point you will meet the managers, or talk with the employees, have the opportunity to explore business opportunities with them.
• Networks – Formal or informal business networks, or even social networks, provide us the opportunities to share and acquire new knowledge and ideas.
• Patents – Registered patents are available to be consulted. This is a formal way of knowledge (explicit knowledge). If you are interested in registering a patent, you will, for sure, proceed with an existing patent analysis, to make sure that the invention you aim to register isn’t already protected by others. While you do this, you are learning and receiving knowledge. The same for other forms of protected intellectual property. If you want to use some other organization protected outputs (e.g., use exploitation licences for some products), you are acquiring knowledge on that product
• R&D collaboration – collaboration require joining efforts, expertise, resources and knowledge. Whitin collaboration, you share your knowledge and ideas and you have access to knowledge and expertise you don’t own.
• Migration flows – When we talk about migration flows the scope is quite large. It can go from people moving between boarders to simple company changes. Knowledge is created and embodied in people, so, whenever, someone moves from one place to another, knowledges owned by that person also “moves”. This can be a tricky issue for an organization knowledge management process. While an organization may have a lot to gain by hiring new people whin deep knowledge within the industry (e.g., hiring someone from a competitor company), it can also have a lot to lose if someone leaves the company taking knowledge that can either give competitors and advantage or creates a gap in the existing knowledge in the organization (e.g., this person knowledge is not retained in the company in any other form).
• Commercial transactions – for your organization to operate you own a pool of suppliers, customers, outsourcing organizations, among others, with whom you have a very close relationship. These business partners sustain the existence of your organization. You cannot create value without them, and you cannot survive if you don’t create value for them. For the sustainability of your business, you need to know who they are, why they are valuable to you, what you want from them and what they want from you. You are in constant interaction with them, receiving and sharing ideas, finding new solutions and ways of doing things better, identifying new gaps that may lead to new products and services, getting information and knowledge on how the market trends and technologies are evolving, creating opportunities for new collaborations. Every time you buy a new product you are receiving new knowledge. Every time you deliver a new solution you are sharing new knowledge.