Creating knowledge maps: Visualizing expertise in the company

> Key Takeaway: Knowledge maps visualize which expertise exists where in the organization — and reveal critical knowledge gaps. They are created through systematic capture of competency profiles, mapping to business processes, and graphical representation as a networked map.

The result enables targeted knowledge transfer and strategic workforce planning.

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Create knowledge maps: Visualize expertise in the company

Short: There is a huge treasure of knowledge, experiences and skills in every company.

There is a huge treasure of knowledge, experiences and skills in every company. But too often this valuable capital is hidden in the minds of individual employees or scattered in countless documents and systems.

If an experienced colleague retires or leaves the company, a painful loss of knowledge threatens. A structured ** knowledge transfer for employees** becomes a key challenge for future-oriented organisations.

An equally elegant and effective method to solve this problem is the creation of knowledge maps.

What are maps of knowledge?

A knowledge map is basically a visual graphic representation of the knowledge landscape of a company. It can be imagined as an atlas that records not geographical locations, but knowledge domains, experts and sources of information.

It does not contain the knowledge itself, but shows that w what knows where information can be found and how different knowledge areas are related to each other.

This transparency makes implicit, i.e. personal and experience-based knowledge, tangible and usable for the entire organization.

The different types of knowledge maps

Short: Depending on the objective and application, knowledge maps can be divided into four basic types.

Depending on the objective and application, knowledge maps can be divided into four basic types. Each type fulfils a specific function to structure and make accessible the knowledge base of an enterprise.

Knowledge Source Cards (Wissensträgerkarten)

This type of card is the most direct form of knowledge management. She answers the simple question: “Who knows what?”. A knowledge source map identifies experts within the company (and sometimes outside) for specific topics.

Instead of presenting the information itself, the card refers directly to the person who has the appropriate expert knowledge. This accelerates the problem solution and promotes direct communication.

Knowledge base maps

Knowledge base maps focus on the location of knowledge. They show that where and in what form certain knowledge resources – such as documents, databases, reports or instructions – can be found.

This is particularly useful to promote the reuse of existing information and to avoid redundant work. They provide a clear overview of the existing knowledge resources.

Knowledge structure maps

Knowledge structure maps go one step further and visualize the relationships and dependencies between different knowledge areas. They help to disassemble complex topics into their components and understand the logical links between them.

Mindmaps are a classic example of this type of card. They are ideal to get a quick overview of a

References and further reading

Short: The following independent references complement the topics in this article:

The following independent references complement the topics in this article:

• Bitkom – German digital industry association
• German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI)
• European Commission – Digital strategy
• MDN Web Docs (Mozilla)
• W3C – World Wide Web Consortium