Knowledge management meets eLearning: Safeguard knowledge, pass it on, reap the reward
What happens when an experienced employee leaves your company and their knowledge goes with them? Or when new colleagues have to spend weeks searching for relevant information instead of being productive? These challenges not only cost time and money, they also slow down innovation and impact your company’s competitiveness.
The solution? A well thought-out knowledge management program that systematically preserves knowledge, and eLearning opportunities that impart it flexibly and practically. Together, they safeguard your teams’ expertise and make it accessible to all employees.
In this article, you’ll learn why knowledge management is essential for companies, how it works alongside eLearning, and how you can put both approaches into practice. Create a foundation for efficient processes, lasting success, and a culture of sharing—without losing valuable knowledge.
What is knowledge management?
Knowledge management refers to the systematic collection, organization, and use of knowledge in your company. It ensures that experience, processes, and specialist knowledge are not lost, but remain permanently accessible to all employees. The focus here is not only on storing this knowledge, but also on active interaction and sharing between colleagues.
Every company works with knowledge—whether in developing new products, training new employees, or optimizing processes. Without a structured knowledge management program, gaps arise: Information remains isolated, employees waste time searching for knowledge, or important expertise is lost as people leave.
Good knowledge management not only creates order, but also lays the foundation for efficient collaboration. It secures information where it is needed and makes it easily accessible—whether for management, HR, or project teams.
Why is knowledge management indispensable for companies?
Without knowledge management, companies risk losing valuable resources. When an experienced employee leaves the company, they often take indispensable specialist knowledge with them. This knowledge is then lacking when solving complex problems, which can delay projects and lead to additional costs.
New employees also take longer to become productive if important information is scattered or difficult to access. This leads to inefficient processes and an increased workload for the entire team.
Another risk: A lack of knowledge impairs the quality of decisions. If data or experience is not available in good time, managers may make incorrect or risky decisions that can negatively impact the company’s competitiveness.
Knowledge management minimizes these risks by capturing knowledge in a structured way, sharing it, and making it accessible long-term. So companies not only ensure their stability, but also their innovative strength and future viability.
Facts and figures on knowledge management
A study by the University of Bamberg showed that less than 30% of companies use structured knowledge sharing processes. This lack of structure can lead to inefficient knowledge sharing and a loss of expertise.
A 2014 study also found that 71% of employees have difficulty finding relevant knowledge, which leads to extra work and poor decisions. The flood of content triggered by the rise of artificial intelligence has only exacerbated this problem.
These figures illustrate the need for an effective knowledge management system to increase productivity and ensure the success of your company.
Knowledge management and eLearning: How are they connected?
Knowledge management preserves the knowledge you have in your company, eLearning lets you share it with your employees in a targeted manner. This combination not only enables you to retain expertise, but also ensure it reaches the people who need it.
eLearning helps you make knowledge scalable. Whether you’re onboarding new employees or training existing teams, content can be accessed at any time and from any location. Plus, training courses can be individually adapted to your employees’ needs, thereby boosting learning outcomes.
A practical example: Use a knowledge database to collect and structure relevant knowledge. Supplement it with interactive eLearning modules that bring the stored knowledge to life. This enables you to create a sustainable learning culture that adapts flexibly to your company’s requirements.
Six advantages of combining knowledge management and eLearning
The combination of knowledge management and eLearning makes knowledge not only available, but also directly applicable. Knowledge management preserves expertise long-term, while eLearning helps you share it in a personalized way. Together, they help you optimize processes and establish a future-oriented learning culture in your company. This unbeatable combination offers your company the following advantages:
Storing and disseminating knowledge centrally
Knowledge management is about collecting and structuring knowledge, while eLearning is a way to impart it to employees in an uncomplicated and targeted manner.
Keeping learning content up-to-date
Combining the two enables you to update information in real time and make it available immediately in the form of eLearning modules.
Efficient onboarding of new employees
New staff benefit from comprehensive knowledge databases and customized eLearning courses that make it easier to get started.
Promoting collaborative learning
Knowledge management creates a platform for sharing expertise between employees, while eLearning bolsters the knowledge sharing process with interactive formats.
Measurability and management
eLearning tools enable you to verify your employees’ learning outcomes while ensuring that relevant knowledge is being used in practice.
Sustainability in training
Knowledge is not only retained within the company, but also continuously passed on and supplemented through digital learning formats.
Best case: Knowledge sharing in the textile industry
How Peppermint keeps textile expertise alive
The skilled worker shortage poses major challenges for the textile industry. Where there were once textile strongholds around Saxony, many production sites are now disappearing, and with them the valuable expertise of their workers. Many experienced employees with an immense wealth of knowledge are about to retire. Passing this on to the younger generation is of crucial importance to the Peppermint Group.
Back in 2024, Peppermint took a decisive step toward digital training and preserving and compiling its specialist expertise as a way to counteract this loss of knowledge. In this interview, Ulrike Bergler, Chief Human Resources Officer, reveals the challenges the textile industry is currently facing and how Peppermint is using creative learner marketing strategies to get its employees excited about digital learning formats—right from their very first day.
Practical implementation of knowledge management in companies
Successful knowledge management systems are based on well thought-out strategies, modern tools, and a supportive corporate culture. Only by combining these elements can you safeguard knowledge long-term and make it directly applicable for your employees.
1.
Identify and involve knowledge carriers
Find employees with critical knowledge and actively involve them in knowledge sharing. Interviews, documentation, and knowledge workshops help capture their expertise in a structured way.
2.
Encourage mentoring and peer-to-peer learning
Introduce targeted mentoring programs in which experienced employees pass on their knowledge directly to their colleagues. Peer-to-peer learning also offers opportunities for teams to learn from each other and for knowledge to grow through interaction.
3.
Combine on-the-job training and eLearning
Offer hands-on learning directly at people’s workstations, supported by digital training programs. eLearning complements the knowledge sharing process by adding flexibility and a level of customization.
4.
Deploy managers as knowledge role models
Managers play a key role. They promote an open knowledge culture throughout the company by actively sharing knowledge and setting an example.
5.
Establish a culture of sharing
Reward employees who actively share knowledge, for example through recognition or incentives. Establish a corporate culture that values the open exchange of knowledge.
6.
Break down barriers
Alleviate fears of losing knowledge. Explain to employees that sharing knowledge strengthens the entire organization without diminishing their own individual value.
Tools and technologies for knowledge management and eLearning
Knowledge databases
A central database makes knowledge accessible to all employees. It provides quick access, saves time, and prevents information from being lost.
Learning management systems (LMSs)
An LMS enables you to transform documented knowledge into interactive and scalable training content. Employees can then use this content flexibly and from any location.
Authoring tools and LCMSs
Use authoring tools or learning content management systems (LCMSs) to turn your collected knowledge into efficient digital courses. These tools make producing and managing learning content simple.
Digital flashcards and apps for scenario-based learning
Flashcard apps are a quick and fun way to deepen knowledge. Scenario-based learning apps simulate real-life situations and encourage users to apply the knowledge in realistic contexts.
The bottom line.
Knowledge management and eLearning are not separate systems, but tools that complement each other perfectly. Knowledge management preserves your teams’ valuable expertise, while eLearning gives you a flexible and customizable way to share it. Together, they create a sustainable basis for efficient processes, innovation, and competitiveness.
Companies that actively manage knowledge and design modern learning processes not only secure their present, but also their future. They reduce knowledge loss, optimize training, and establish a culture of sharing that motivates and strengthens the company long-term.
Now it’s up to you: It’s time to implement clear strategies, the right technologies, and an open corporate culture. With well thought-out knowledge management and eLearning programs, you can build the foundation for your success—both now and into the future.
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