Institutional Knowledge Lost

All CIA employees this week were reported to have received letters inviting them to resign immediately, and take a financial buyout.  This struck me as a particularly missguided move that failed to recognize the value of years of experience, accumulated expertise, long standing relationships, wisdom and knowledge that helps provide security to ourselves and our allies.

Modernizing and “right-sizing” is periodically required for nearly all organizations, and these refreshes often help organizations better align with future plans, but that is not justification for losing institutional knowledge. The loss of such knowledge can be catastrophic, undermining future efforts and causing years of delays and missteps.

Let’s define institutional knowledge as things like expertise learned on the job, experience, process knowledge, and insights accumulated over time. It encompasses both explicit, and tacit knowledge, which resides in the minds of employees.

It should be obvious that capturing and using institutional knowledge to enhance efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness in the future is important and desirable. Ensuring that institutional knowledge is retained and accessible can make the difference between success and failure. Purposely creating situations where critical institutional knowledge is lost is inexcusable.