In this volume, business consultant and project manager Krakrafaa Thompson Tenent Bestman shares his expertise in the field of knowledge transference for both the corporate world and family circle.
The author observes that we often err when we attempt to train new employees in industry, or allow others to educate our children, in both cases assuming that vital knowledge has been passed along. In fact, the strength of a company or family lies in its members who embody a legacy of understanding of the inner workings of the group that can’t be easily replaced by formal training or conventional education.
Bestman notes that the more the transferer and transferee bond personally, the greater the chance that there will be a true hand-off of deeper understanding. Training programs don’t generally provide such expertise. And in families, education should go hand-in-hand with parental interaction and value exchange.
The subtle wisdom needed in either setting requires a “knowledge transfer loop,” consisting of: “bonding” between the seeker and the source of knowledge, leading to an “inter-exchange phase” and thence to “internalization and value creation.” Bestman even recommends such simple methods of transfer as organizational picnics and other social gatherings.
The author is clearly focused and offers several charts and models, as well as nearly 30 pages of references. His writing, however, is dense, academic and unnecessarily wordy. As such, it can be tough going. For example: “The notion that the successor has to motivate the predecessor before the predecessor will share his or her skills and experiences with the successor resonates with….” Grammar is sometimes strained, as evidenced by the title’s incorrect “Its” (should be “Their”).
Despite this, Bestman brings a sense of hope to the subject. Readers will appreciate his vision of a future in which organizations encourage workers to forge social bonds with trainers and more experienced workers, and in which parents realize that children not only need their money, but their knowledge and experience, as well.
Also available in hardcover.
