Introduction
If Gartner’s predictions were right, 51% of knowledge workers (and 32% of all workers) now work remotely—up from 27% and 17%, respectively, in 2019. And dispersed teams need knowledge sharing systems to communicate and collaborate effectively.
A knowledge-sharing system is a collection of tools, technologies and practices that enable your business to capture, store, access, and use knowledge. Learn more about 10 types of knowledge sharing systems and how they can help you improve performance, collaboration and efficiency.
TL;DR: Knowledge sharing systems
- A knowledge sharing system (KSS) is a collection of tools and practices enabling organizations to effectively capture, store, access, and use knowledge for informed decision-making.
- KSSs encompass explicit and tacit knowledge, supporting both documented information and experiential insights.
- Knowledge sharing systems examples include:
- Learning Management Systems (LMS).
- Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs).
- Real-time collaboration platforms.
- Asynchronous knowledge-sharing tools.
- Knowledge Management Systems (KMS).
- Visual collaboration tools.
- Wiki and knowledge base software.
- Document collaboration tools.
- Procedural knowledge-sharing tools.
- Enterprise Content Management (ECM) systems.
- These diverse tools enhance organizational efficiency by consolidating knowledge and fostering collaborative environments, particularly for remote or hybrid work setups.
What is a knowledge sharing system?
Knowledge sharing systems are a collection of tools, technologies and practices that enable organizations to capture, store, access, and use knowledge to improve decision-making, collaboration, and innovation.
Knowledge sharing systems can be used to share explicit knowledge and tacit knowledge.
- Explicit knowledge is written down, easy to understand, and can be easily shared in the form of documents, manuals and training materials.
- Tacit knowledge is more difficult to share because it's often acquired through experience, practice and intuition.
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10 examples of knowledge sharing systems
Knowledge sharing systems exist on a spectrum. From knowledge sharing Chrome extensions to knowledge management, each is designed to support your knowledge transfer strategy.
These 10 examples of knowledge sharing platforms will help ensure your remote workers have access to the information they need to maintain their productivity and enable better decision-making this year, no matter where they’re located.
1. Learning management systems
A learning management system (LMS) is a platform for creating, delivering, and managing online education. Remote teams need a learning management system for employee training in place of in-person instruction. Eduflow and 360Learning are two examples of this type of software.
Usually the domain of a company’s human resources (HR) or learning and development (L&D) team, a learning management system is essential to an effective remote onboarding program. According to a study by Bamboo HR, employees who rated their onboarding as “highly effective” were 18 times more likely to feel committed to their organization.
Today’s LMS platforms also track completion rates and provide analytics to L&D teams so they can measure the success of their onboarding programs.
This type of knowledge-sharing system is also used for up-skilling and re-skilling veteran employees, a top priority for 59% of L&D professionals this year, according to LinkedIn Learning’s 2021 Workplace Learning Report.
2. Enterprise social networks (ESN)
Enterprise social networks (ESN) or instant messaging (IM) platform allows two or more team members to communicate through text in real-time. For all the benefits of remote and hybrid work, one downside is that dispersed team members can’t just swivel around in their chairs to ask their office mates a question.
ESNs like Slack and Microsoft Teams or instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp help teams to share explicit or tacit knowledge through their desktop or mobile devices.
More than 3 billion people already use mobile messaging apps in their personal life, which is expected to keep growing—so it makes sense that businesses would adopt ESNs. They enable knowledgeable employees to chat quickly and informally to increase engagement and solve problems faster than they could with email.
With enterprise social networks, you can create communities of practice where people can share tacit knowledge through casual conversations, storytelling and mentoring. Instant messengers are also good forums for giving a voice to more introverted workers who are uncomfortable speaking up in a group setting.
Initially designed for text communications, modern IM platforms (also sometimes called messaging apps, social apps, or chat apps) offer more features to support employee collaboration, such as file sharing and video chat.
3. Real-time collaboration tools
Real-time collaboration platforms enable team members to work on the same projects simultaneously from different locations. Since dispersed teams can’t physically huddle, remote collaboration tools make it possible to work on the same project at the same time, regardless of location.
There are all kinds of real-time remote collaboration tools, from document management systems like Google Workspace to audio and video calling applications like Zoom—instant messengers can also fit into this category of knowledge-sharing system.
The type of knowledge sharing tools your team needs will be determined by the type of work you do. For example, creative teams need a visual platform like Mural, while Google Workspace may suffice for your finance department. But all of these tools empower teams to work together synchronously and seamlessly, rather than sending documents back and forth, which wastes time and can create confusion with duplicate versions.
4. Asynchronous knowledge-sharing tools
Asynchronous (or async) knowledge-sharing tools are applications that enable remote teams to relay information at a time that’s convenient for them. They’re valuable for all sorts of teams—in-house, remote, or hybrid—and are a must-have for sharing explicit knowledge in organizations whose employees span multiple time zones.
Like real-time collaboration tools, there are different types of async collaboration tools. Email, for example, is an async platform for sharing knowledge that’s been around for decades.
AI-powered tools like Scribe enable SMEs to effortlessly create step-by-step guides for sharing know-how without interrupting their workflow.
Scribe captures your screen and turns every step into step-by-step instructions for any process, complete with text and annotated screenshots.
Scribe makes knowledge sharing simple—create detailed visual onboarding guides, troubleshooting instructions and workflow documentation as you work.
You can quickly add steps, helpful tips and any extra instructions whenever necessary. Ask Scribe's generative AI to write any kind of document you need, and use Scribe Pages, you can combine your Scribes with text, images, video and more!
Share guides with a single click or embed them into your documentation. Scribe also integrates with thousands of tools like SharePoint, Notion, Confluence and more.
As remote work becomes increasingly common, so does asynchronous work—and for good reason: Not only does it widen your company’s talent pool since you can hire people from anywhere in the world, but many of today’s workers demand it. In a FlexJobs and Mental Health America (MHA) survey, 56 percent of respondents said having flexibility in the workplace was the top way their company could better support them.
The async working model is good for employers, too: 43 percent of Gartner 2021 Digital Worker Experience Survey respondents said flexible working hours made them more productive.
5. Knowledge management system
A knowledge management system (sometimes called an internal knowledge base, document management system, or wiki) is a digital library of resources for employees to learn about the company and how to do their jobs. Tettra, Confluence, Freshdesk, Document360, and ClickUp are all good examples of knowledge management systems.
A KMS can enhance organizational efficiency by turning knowledge sharing into a discipline, solving problems more efficiently, and enabling workers to self-serve information, freeing your experienced employees from repeatedly answering the same questions.
Shared company knowledge is often spread across multiple systems, leaving workers shuffling through their email or Slack messages to find answers to their questions. These knowledge repositories serve as a single source of truth, where information—from benefits paperwork to customer support FAQs to standard operating procedures—is aggregated and kept up to date for easy access to anyone within the organization.
This kind of organizational knowledge-sharing system is invaluable for all teams, but it's crucial for remote workforces where employees can’t simply walk into the HR office or tap on a coworker’s shoulder to ask for information.
6. Visual collaboration tools
Platforms like Mural, Lucidchart and Miro enable your teams to conduct virtual whiteboarding and mind-mapping sessions when they can’t all huddle in the same conference room to brainstorm. Virtual white-boarding software speeds up decision-making since everyone is on the same digital page.
7. Wiki and knowledge base software
The first generation of corporate wikis was rife with problems, from navigational issues to information simply going stale because they were too frustrating to use. Today, platforms like Guru are making external and internal knowledge bases more user-friendly and easy to keep up to date. You can also generate a QR code that can be used to share specific documents or processes that are used frequently.
8. Document collaboration tools
These platforms allow remote workers to collaborate without sending files back and forth. Google Docs is one standby we’re all familiar with, but tools like Notion and Bit.ai take document collaboration to the next level with more flexibility and helpful integrations.
9. Procedural knowledge-sharing tools
Learning to use software and complete online tasks is decidedly more complicated for remote teams who can’t just look over a neighbor’s shoulder to see how work gets done. Platforms like Loom and Scribe enable employees to share video walk-throughs and step-by-step guides with screenshots.
It’s even better than being in person because you can view them repeatedly without pulling your teammates away from their responsibilities.
10. Enterprise content management
Enterprise content management (ECM) systems are designed to help organizations manage their digital content, which includes documents, images, videos, and other files.
One example of an ECM system is Microsoft SharePoint. SharePoint is a web-based collaboration platform that allows users to create, manage and share documents and information. It provides features such as document libraries, wikis, blogs, and discussion boards, making it easy to share knowledge and collaborate.
These 10 examples demonstrate how KMSs can enhance knowledge sharing and collaboration within organizations, enabling employees to access and contribute to a centralized repository of knowledge and information.
FAQs
What are the 3 major knowledge management systems?
While there are many different types of knowledge management systems, there are three major KMSs that all organizations can use to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among employees.
1. Document management systems organize and store documents in a centralized repository for company-wide knowledge management. Document management software makes organizing and sharing information easily accessible. These systems often include version control, document search and document collaboration tools.
2. Collaboration tools and platforms enable employees to work together in real time, regardless of their physical location. These systems provide features like instant messaging, video conferencing, file sharing, and project management tools.
3. Enterprise social networks (ESN) are internal social media platforms with features like discussion forums, blogs, wikis, and activity feeds. ESNs promote organizational knowledge sharing by encouraging employees to share insights, ask questions, and collaborate on projects.
How are knowledge sharing systems classified?
Knowledge sharing systems can be classified according to their primary purpose or goal. Five specialized types of knowledge sharing systems fall under the broader categories of explicit and tacit knowledge sharing:
- Incident report databases are libraries of past incidents or problems, allowing people to learn from the past and avoid making the same mistakes.
- Alert systems let teams know when there's a potential problem, giving them time to prepare and take action.
- Best practices databases are collections of proven tips and tricks that have worked well in the past, helping people find the best way to do things.
- Lessons-learned systems include insights and experiences, capturing the wisdom of what went right and what went wrong.
- Expert locator systems identify and connect people with the right knowledge and skills, helping them find the experts they need to solve problems.
Support your remote teams with knowledge sharing systems
The right knowledge-sharing systems will give your remote teams what they need to do their best work and help you retain your top talent in a competitive labor market. You’ll save your organization some dough, too: For every employee who works remotely half the time, employers can save $11,000 per year in real estate, electricity, productivity, absenteeism, and turnover costs.
Scribe is the easiest and fastest way to show anyone how to do anything online. Sign up for Scribe today and start sharing knowledge!
