Institutional Knowledge: Definition, Risks, And How To Preserve It

"You may hear institutional knowledge called organizational knowledge, company knowledge, or tribal knowledge. Some parts of it are easy to find and write down, like policies, manuals, and workflows. This is called explicit knowledge. Other parts are harder to capture, including personal experience, intuition, and things like "this is how we usually do things here," which fall under tacit knowledge."

"Institutional knowledge is valuable because it gives context. It shows not just what is done, but why it is done that way. It includes lessons learned from past successes and failures, shortcuts that save time, and insights that help teams avoid making the same mistakes. Without this shared understanding, organizations may slow down, become overly dependent on a few key individuals, or struggle when employees leave."

"Institutional knowledge typically includes: Processes and workflows that show how work actually gets done day to day. Historical decisions and context, including why certain choices were made in the past. Informal practices that are not written down but followed. Employee expertise and experience gained through years of hands-on work. Cultural norms that shape behavior, communication, and collaboration. In short, institutional knowledge is the foundation that keeps an organization running efficiently, even as people, tools, and priorities change."

Institutional knowledge is the collective experience, skills, processes, and unwritten know-how that employees use to perform jobs effectively. It resides in people's heads, documents, systems, and daily practices. Some parts are explicit and easily documented, such as policies, manuals, and workflows; other parts are tacit and include personal experience, intuition, and habitual ways of working. Institutional knowledge provides context by revealing not only what is done but why it is done, and it captures lessons learned, shortcuts, and insights that prevent repeat mistakes. It includes processes, historical decisions, informal practices, employee expertise, and cultural norms. Institutional knowledge sustains organizational efficiency through change.

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