How to Break Down Knowledge Barriers Inside and Out: Strategies from Copperberg’s New Podcast

In the first episode, Lisa Hellqvist, Copperberg’s co-founder and Managing Director, shares her invaluable insights on how professionals can overcome knowledge barriers within their organizations and the industry overall. With over 15 years of experience in driving collaboration and facilitating knowledge sharing among manufacturers, Lisa’s interview is a must-watch and listen for anyone wanting to streamline the exchange of expertise.

Knowledge-Sharing: It’s About Culture, Not Technology

Setting up effective internal knowledge-sharing systems within organizations is often more challenging than it seems, especially in fast-paced industries like field service that are widely transitioning from the senior workforce to the junior one. While the value of sharing knowledge within teams is widely acknowledged, the execution of such initiatives can be difficult. Organizations often face obstacles when trying to implement these systems, and the challenges are not always immediately obvious.

One of the most crucial things to get over is to not rely on technology, according to Lisa. It’s tempting for companies to focus on technology as a catch-all solution, assuming that data collection systems and automated processes will enable seamless knowledge transfer. While the infrastructure for capturing data is important, Lisa emphasizes that technology alone cannot ensure that knowledge flows effectively across the organization. At the end of the day, “It’s not a system thing. It’s a company culture thing.”

Without a culture that actively fosters knowledge sharing across departments and generations, even the best systems will fall short. For Lisa, the intuitive and nuanced aspects make a big difference in an organization’s know-how—the unwritten rules, the shared experiences, and the soft skills and values that can be easily lost without intentional efforts to preserve them. Data alone, even with the help of AI, cannot capture the intuitive aspect of human knowledge, the insights gained through experience, relationships, and informal exchanges.

The solution to this is mentoring, by pairing new recruits with experienced colleagues. Lisa sees this as a “golden opportunity to shape the new recruit with the intangible aspects of a company’s culture.” Senior employees can pass on valuable insights—such as how to treat customers with empathy or the company’s unwritten norms—that are not captured in formal documentation but are critical to understanding how the organization operates.

Sharing this kind of knowledge builds trust and consolidates an open learning environment. Lisa explains how important this is when new recruits make mistakes: “If you want to have a solid foundation of trust, to be able to coach them out of bad practices and make sure that’s prevented in the future, that’s what’s required.” Without trust, employees may feel judged or blamed, which inhibits their willingness to engage openly and learn from their mistakes.

Lisa encourages informal exchanges to provide recruits with crucial insights that can’t be found in any manual, insights that can significantly improve their day-to-day operations. And it all starts from the top, with leaders who ought to lead by example.

Proven Strategies for Building a Knowledge-Sharing Culture

Through her work with leaders navigating complex transformation journeys, Lisa has seen what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to breaking down silos and establishing an open culture. Based on her observations, there are a few proven strategies that can facilitate knowledge sharing between departments, generations, and teams.

1. Create cross-departmental teams
Assign diverse teams from different departments to work together on key projects, especially during times of transformation. These teams should include stakeholders who are crucial for the success of the project, to allow a more spontaneous flow of knowledge exchange.

2. Provide recognition and empowerment
Appoint individuals as ambassadors for transformation projects, and give them a voice in decision-making. This recognition creates a sense of value and encourages more active participation in knowledge sharing. When people feel heard and recognized, they are more motivated to contribute their expertise to the team and the organization.

3. Set clear goals and expectations
Set clear, actionable goals for cross-departmental workgroups. If everyone knows what they are working towards and what is achievable, they will keep focused and aligned instead of disengaging from the project. 

4. Avoid unproductive sessions
Ensure that knowledge-sharing sessions don’t turn into long discussions without actionable outcomes. It’s essential to have clear objectives and actions for each conversation. Capture key takeaways in memos, project management tools, or follow-up documents to ensure that the knowledge that was shared translates into tangible results.

5. Encourage inclusivity
Make sure that all voices are heard during team meetings. This inclusivity will encourage team members to share more openly and contribute their insights. Create an environment where everyone feels their input is valued, not just from a seniority perspective, but from diverse experiences across the organization.

6. Incentivize senior employees to share
Recognition is a major motivator. Ensure that senior employees feel heard and valued for their years of experience and insights. Senior employees may resist sharing due to past experiences where their suggestions were overlooked or dismissed. Provide opportunities for them to engage and be heard, even if their ideas have been tried in the past.

7. Dig deeper to uncover the root of resistance
If there’s resistance to knowledge sharing, leaders must dig deeper to understand why. Resistance often stems from past failures or a lack of trust in the process. Use empathetic leadership to uncover the reasons behind the reluctance. Approach this as a conversation that helps build understanding, not a confrontation. Often, those buried concerns can reveal valuable insights and learning opportunities for the organization.

Technology as a Tool for Streamlining Knowledge-Sharing

Although technology plays an important role in facilitating knowledge sharing, it is not the solution to the exchange. As Lisa explains, “Technology is a tool that enables you to move ahead or makes your life easier along the way,” but it is the human element that drives the exchange.

AI can quickly process and structure data. It transforms workflows, and it is indispensable in digitalizing older records and data to preserve valuable knowledge that might otherwise be lost. However, while AI can sift through vast amounts of information, human oversight is required to ensure that the algorithms are applied correctly and ethically.

In addition to AI, advanced CRM systems have also become indispensable for tracking customer journeys and behaviors. These systems allow companies to capture not just transactional data but also the more nuanced aspects of customer preferences and needs. CRM systems are critical tools, as Lisa explains: “The more we can capture customer behaviors, the more we can excel in our commercial value proposition.” 

How to Share Best Practices Without Compromising Your Competitive Edge

Knowledge sharing extends beyond the confines of the organization. Furthermore, it is often the case that internal knowledge sharing was successful because the organization learned its best practices from another that is already ahead of the curve and decided to share the journey. To capture as much valuable knowledge as possible, companies are thus encouraged to learn from their peers and likewise contribute their know-how and success stories to the industry.

Tricky as it may be, sharing valuable insights whilst protecting your competitive advantage is entirely possible, according to Lisa. Companies have often been overly cautious about sharing information—especially when the competition is present—but much of this hesitation is unnecessary. “You can share a lot without revealing the sensitive details.” For instance, companies can discuss the broader transformation of a process, like pricing strategies, without disclosing specific numbers, margins, or confidential information.

Throughout the years, Lisa has observed that this cautiousness or aversion often stems from outdated thinking. She noted that “Many of these organizations are listed companies, and a lot of their information is already public, whether they’re doing well or poorly.” And so, companies can remain open while still protecting their sensitive data. The key is to avoid the nitty-gritty details, much like in a casual conversation with colleagues where one only shares general difficulties without revealing the specifics. 

Sharing best practices can also be an excellent opportunity for brand positioning. “When you’re at industry events surrounded by your peers, it’s your time to shine,” Lisa suggests. These events, whether as speakers or in roundtable discussions, are prime opportunities for professionals and the organizations they represent to showcase leadership. As Lisa noted, one never knows who could be in the audience, from potential employers to future employees, which makes participation even more motivating.

Sharing the results of a completed transformation process can also be a powerful way to assert a company’s leadership. Lisa encourages organizations to share their success stories. “If you’ve already done your transformation, and you’re sharing how well it worked, your competitors in the room are far behind anyway.” 

In her experience, most industry professionals are rarely reckless with their disclosures. As she notes, in-person events, such as workshops or roundtables, are spaces for benchmarking personal experiences and discussing common challenges. “You can sit next to your biggest competitor and find you have a lot in common when it comes to your daily tasks,” she states, pointing to the collaborative nature of such events and the universal struggles participants are dealing with.

Industry Events: Bringing Thought-Leaders Together for Real-World Impact

The real strength of niche events is that they bring together like-minded professionals who face the same challenges, giving them the opportunity to gain fresh perspectives. The feedback from attendees often focuses on the real-world value they derived by being there. Many attendees leave with more than just a few new business cards or fresh ideas—they leave with tangible outcomes from their interactions. For example, Lisa has witnessed first-hand how professionals found new career opportunities, sourced business solutions, and discovered partners that helped them address challenges they were struggling with. 

While larger conferences and trade shows can offer a wide range of products and trends, they are often unable to facilitate personal connection, which is what makes in-depth knowledge sharing possible. Smaller, more focused gatherings like the Power of 50 format offer an ideal space for meaningful, face-to-face interactions. Participants in these events can engage in deep conversations beyond surface-level topics and dig into the heart of the challenges they face on a daily basis.

Furthermore, the sense of community created during these events has a lasting impact, with many participants continuing their discussions long after the event ends. Professionals can return to their organizations with new perspectives, actionable ideas, and the confidence that they are not alone in their challenges. 

Turning Knowledge Into Action

Knowledge sharing is a two-way street. You have to “give some to gain some.” Professionals have to be prepared to contribute before expecting others to do the same. Lisa advises to set boundaries and lead by example when engaging in knowledge-sharing conversations. She notes that “No one is going to overshare if you’ve kept it at a minimum.” So, whether it’s an internal discussion with colleagues or an external interaction with industry peers, the level of openness will set the tone for how much others are willing to share. 

For Lisa, the true value of knowledge sharing is not in the information itself, but in how it is used. “The great aim of education isn’t knowledge, it’s action,” she says in true Copperberg spirit. Knowledge on its own is not enough—it’s what we do with that knowledge that makes the difference. 

If you’re ready to share your insights and learn from others, join the conversation. Tune into the Copperberg Conversations podcast, gain invaluable insights from Lisa’s extensive experience, and learn how to turn knowledge sharing from a buzzword into a competitive advantage.