Time to Act: Knowledge Management Is No Luxury — It’s a Necessity

Current Reality: High Awareness, Low Implementation

Let’s start with a reality check: most companies are in the same boat. We surveyed quality and process managers from 70 medium-sized businesses. They rated the following statements on a scale from 0 (“don’t agree at all”) to 10 (“fully agree”):

1. “Active knowledge management is essential for us.”
   → Average rating: 8.3 | Median: 9.0
2. “We manage knowledge in a very systematic way.”
   → Average rating: only 5.1
3. “Knowledge management will become increasingly important.”
   → Average rating: 8.9 | Only 4% rated this below 7

The takeaway: Everyone agrees it matters—but most admit they’re not doing it well. It’s time to change that.

Knowledge vs. Competence

Let’s be clear on terms:

• Knowledge is the pool of facts, information, and rules available to people or teams. It’s reliable, validated, and forms the foundation for good decisions.
• Competence is the ability to apply this knowledge independently to solve problems.

In short: Knowledge is the “what,” competence is the “how.”

Knowledge is Power—And Future Security

In Germany alone, the number of working-age people is expected to drop by 1.6 to 4.8 million by 2035. That means fewer hands to get the job done. While new technologies may help bridge this gap, the key question remains:

How do we generate and share the knowledge we’ll need tomorrow—today?

The First Step: Define What Counts as Knowledge

To build an effective knowledge management strategy, start by answering two questions:

1. What kinds of knowledge are relevant in your company? Think: process knowledge, product knowledge, market knowledge.
2. Where does your knowledge management process get stuck? Are you struggling to create new knowledge, distribute it, apply it—or unlearn outdated information?

One of the biggest pain points is knowledge that exists only in individuals’ heads. Common fixes include mentoring programs and collaborative case study reviews. The goal: make tacit knowledge accessible and transferable.

Make the Process Description Your Knowledge Hub

Your team needs a shared understanding of where and how knowledge should be shared. In companies using interactive management systems, the process documentation is the go-to source. It’s where knowledge flows into daily practice.

Make sure everyone knows: if it’s worth knowing, it belongs in the process.

Why It Matters: The Competitive Edge of Knowledge

If you act now, knowledge management can deliver tangible competitive advantages—especially for mid-sized companies:

• Faster onboarding and smoother handovers
• Fewer errors caused by lack of knowledge
• Streamlined workflows with less rework and confusion

So, where’s the bottleneck in your knowledge management?