The Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD) has stressed the importance of knowledge management for employees, saying it enables businesses to break down silos by making information easily accessible.

According to the institute, knowledge management provides a place for people to put the knowledge they have acquired over time, preventing a business from losing that information when individuals exit the company.

President and Chairman of Council, NITAD, Ayoade Igbeyi, said this at the 30th yearly trainers’ conference in Abeokuta, Ogun state recently.

Igbeyi described knowledge management as a process by which an enterprise gathers, organises, shares and analyses its knowledge in a way that is easily accessible to employees.

This knowledge, according to her, includes technical resources, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), training documents and people skills. Knowledge management aims to put the right information in front of someone at the right time.

She listed some of the common benefits of knowledge management including improved organisational agility, better and faster decision-making, quicker problem-solving, increased rate of innovation, supported employee growth and development (talent management).

She added that it involves sharing specialist expertise, better communication and promoting the generation of new knowledge for continual learning.

Igbeyi said knowledge management could reduce business operation costs and increase employee productivity.

Besides, she charged Learning and Development (L and D) professionals to be intentional in their activities to impact businesses.

She said the world is changing, while the L and D profession has evolved, stating that technology is still changing the worldview, professionals cannot be caught napping.

The NITAD president noted that the future of work is in the hands of L and D professionals to train and develop human beings operating or controlling Artificial Intelligence (AI) through knowledge management (sharing and managing information/data).

She said employees believe that AI will take over their jobs, and some professions we are told will become extinct in the next 10-20 years.

However, she said integrating AI for knowledge management systems builds intelligent searches. Enterprises benefit from streamlined, smart content platforms that make information accessible.