Business Week just published a must-read article called "The Knowledge Handoff: How corporations are scrambling to tap the expertise of baby boomers before they retire." I'm really glad to see this story being picked up. Many of the companies I talk to, from pharmaceuticals to construction, are worried sick over the expertise that is coming up for retirement in the next 10 years. They're desperate to retain it, but don't know how.
Business Week got some important things right here. Most importantly, the stories recognizes that companies won't solve the problem by cramming employees into classrooms and handing aging boomers a piece of chalk. Instead, the article counsels that "companies should encourage soon-to-be retirees to use digital tools like wikis, blogs, and instant messaging." Business Week frames the issue as a generational gap, arguing that boomers need to use high-tech tools to communicate with Gen Y'ers.
Business Week is giving good advice, but for the wrong reasons. It's not that Gen Y'ers can only communicate on wikis and IM. The real insight--the one I wish Business Week had focused on--is that when employees use Enterprise 2.0 tools (like wikis and blogs) to collaborate, they create valuable assets which endure even after their creators have retired. If more boomers did their work in collaborative tools instead of emails and other private forms of correspondence, their colleagues would retain access to their ideas post-retirement. Just think of it as professional immortality.
Professional immortality. If that's not a good reason to use a collaborative tool, I don't know what is.
Business Week got some important things right here. Most importantly, the stories recognizes that companies won't solve the problem by cramming employees into classrooms and handing aging boomers a piece of chalk. Instead, the article counsels that "companies should encourage soon-to-be retirees to use digital tools like wikis, blogs, and instant messaging." Business Week frames the issue as a generational gap, arguing that boomers need to use high-tech tools to communicate with Gen Y'ers.
Business Week is giving good advice, but for the wrong reasons. It's not that Gen Y'ers can only communicate on wikis and IM. The real insight--the one I wish Business Week had focused on--is that when employees use Enterprise 2.0 tools (like wikis and blogs) to collaborate, they create valuable assets which endure even after their creators have retired. If more boomers did their work in collaborative tools instead of emails and other private forms of correspondence, their colleagues would retain access to their ideas post-retirement. Just think of it as professional immortality.
Professional immortality. If that's not a good reason to use a collaborative tool, I don't know what is.
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