Knowledge- a growth imperative

Knowledge is power. This sentiment echoed over the years by various people and in various places, has good reason for its staying power. At Tulip, we believe man is blessed with a wondrous tool; his brain and the limits of which he can use it are yet to be defined. Thus, we encourage our employees to exercise their minds and use it in a way that is beneficial, both to them and the company.

The more one knows, the more one can really innovate and come up with new and exciting theories that can be made tangible with a little ingenuity and a lot of effort. We encourage our employees to learn about the world and their surroundings and not be afraid to share their views, no matter how radical they may seem.

The sharing of knowledge constitutes a major challenge in the field of knowledge management because some employees tend to resist sharing their knowledge with the rest of the organization. Since there are a number of obstacles that can hinder knowledge sharing, one of the obstacles stand out. This obstacle is the notion that knowledge is a property and the ownership is very important. In order to counteract this notion, individuals must be reassured that they will receive credit for a knowledge product that they create and at Tulip we ensure this happens. However, there is a risk in knowledge sharing. The risk is that individuals are most commonly rewarded for what they know, not what they share. If knowledge is not shared, negative consequences such as isolation and resistance to ideas occur.

Tulip practices knowledge management which comprises a range of practices used in the organization to identify, create, represent, distribute and enable adoption of insights and experiences through a brainstorming practice. Such insights and experiences comprise knowledge, either embodied in individuals or embedded in organizational processes or practice.

Thus, knowledge is vital to the thriving of business efforts as only through knowing can we improve upon past creations. The fact that knowledge is limitless should not deter us, in fact, we encourage everyone to get cracking and start learning about the world around you.