In 2003, executives at Raytheon Missile Systems decided they needed a plan to transfer knowledge between subject-matter experts and less experienced employees. Even without the problem of impending retirements, “You can never guarantee that people will be in the same place forever,” says Mary Contini Gordon, Raytheon’s manager of innovation services.
Gordon, with help from Sheryl Lain-Young, project manager for retaining corporate knowledge, created a pilot program that partners a senior technical expert with a junior colleague. A coach then helps the two work together. The first challenge was to find experts, who were identified by an executive coach. The experiences of Raytheon and other companies trying this approach shows that in most cases, subject-matter experts are eager to share their knowledge. Here are some tips to encourage your more experienced experts to get involved in mentoring and other types of knowledge-sharing programs:
n Let them know how much they …