Surviving the exodus of Baby Boomers will
become a critical priority
for many companies. In their recent book,
Ken Ball and Gina Gotsill
examine the phenomenon of "knowledge
vacuum" that is occurring in the
business world as Baby Boomers retire or
leave the workplace and take
with them their soft skills and practical
wisdom.
Their personal
experience and research provide insight
into the very real challenge
organizations are facing, and the need for
companies of all sizes to
implement a Knowledge Retention program that
includes
nurturing a knowledge culture where
every member of the team freely
contributes knowledge.
Readers
will
find that this is not simply a
question of replacing Boomers with
younger
workers. Rather, it’s the loss of
Boomers' expertise and institutional
knowledge that could be catastrophic
to American business.
So what steps can companies take to
retain and transfer the knowledge
and experience that will walk out the door
as these workers retire? The
fundamental issue is knowledge sharing,
and the smartest companies are already
planning for this as the next major
challenge in the workforce.
Capturing, transferring and retaining Baby
Boomers' knowledge, skills
and expertise before they retire will
enable Generations X and Y
employees to maintain business continuity.
By looking deeply at generational, social
and organizational aspects,
the authors provide a practical, how-to,
hands-on guide for managers
and leaders who could be confronting
"brain drain" in their own
companies.
This book explores methods for assessing a
company's knowledge gaps
and creating a knowledge retention,
transfer and retrieval plan.
Readers will find scenarios, tips,
templates and checklists that will
help managers capture and retain
intellectual capital as Baby Boomers
step away and leave the workplace.
This
is
an easy-to-read and book written for
busy professionals. Readers will find:
No-nonsense,
need-to-know information to maintain a
business edge and ensure success
during
the Baby Boomer exodus
Overviews
of
generational characteristics and
cross-generational dynamics
Methods
for
nurturing a knowledge culture,
considered a best business practice
Practical,
easy-to-use
templates, checklists, case studies,
and action plans
Ken Ball is a Boomer and
follows workforce and generational
issues for TechProse, a
professional services consulting
firm with competencies in
knowledge and content management.
Gina
Gotsill is a Gen X writer with
degrees in journalism from San
Francisco
State University and University of
California, Berkeley. She is also
a
fellow of the Poynter Institute, a
journalism think tank based in St.
Petersburg, Florida. Ms. Gotsill
has covered a wide range of
business
topics that include keeping Boomer
skills in the workplace, teaching
finance to non-finance
professionals, and growth and
change in urban
and suburban business districts.
