| Tribal Knowledge Versus the Written Word |
| I remember learning in school about the ancient societies preserving their history orally. They had no written language and developed complicated methods to remember and relate the stories of their history. They created songs and dances, used mnemonics and knots and colored string for the rituals and rites to weave their history into their traditions. |
| This was true for the African rites, the Incas in Peru, the early Christians and the American Indian tribes. I was very glad I grew up in a society that did not require the diligence of a History Singer. How naïve I was. |
| When I progressed into the “real” world, I came to realize the world has not moved very far. Oral Traditions are integral threads in our life’s tapestry. On a personal level, this is easy to understand. Everyone’s Cousin or Grandpa tells stories at family gatherings. I still relate fascinating stories from my grandfather to my children and grandchildren because he is not here to pass them on. I would be remiss in skipping a gruesome story of his WWI tonsillectomy on the front lines in France. I take my parental responsibilities seriously. |
| In the working world, it is hard to justify a place for Oral History. We have too many regulations and policy constraints to allow for Oral Traditions. You can stop muttering, “Huh, oral traditions in the workplace?” and “we have rules and regulations”. There is no need to chant, “Remember, if the meeting minutes don’t exist, the meeting never happened”. I get that. |
| But, I challenge you to look around at your work. Take the twelfth person walking in the door on Monday morning. Follow them to their desk. Get them a cup of coffee and after they are settled in, ask to see the outline/checklist/instructions for how they do their daily job. After the proverbial blank stare, he / she will begin a verbal explanation. |
| I have watched people leave their old jobs for happy reasons like promotions, marriages, and new opportunities. They spent countless hours sitting with their replacement in oral discourse. The new person hurriedly writes notes that will make no sense the next time they are read. |
| I have watched people leave for less happy reasons. In these cases, they are usually not available for an oral “brain dump”. The new person fruitlessly searches the desk, cabinets and on-line folders for any mention of the methods and reasoning behind the daily operations. |
| I believe the “Big Stuff” is probably documented in Department Narratives, SOP’s, and Company Policies. There is a lot of “Little Stuff” that floats below the radar. I worked with a manager on a process problem. After my initial findings, he told me, “It was his problem and he would handle it and document it "like it should be done.” Later, he left the company and we never found the documentation. We got to start over. |
| Make a promise to yourself. Gather your department and have everyone list the tasks that avoid “Official” documentation. Then take each and write a checklist, an outline, a brief instruction (…something, anything) about the task. Save it in a space known by everyone. Don’t make it too safe or you will never find it again. Your department will be better off. If nothing else, upon your next promotion, you are leaving yourself breadcrumbs to help with your oral recitation to your replacement. |
| About Bill Cowley |
| With over 30 years experience in materials and manufacturing systems, Bill Cowley is principle of gurusome consulting where he helps Expandable customers in Southern California increase their usage of the Expandable system. Bill enjoys the challenges of working with interesting people in a diverse range of companies and sits as an officer on the IEUGA Board of Directors. Due to constant freeway gridlock, Bill is now addicted to audio books. |
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