Gotcha! Capturing the Brain Trust in your Organization
Every organization has “those people.” You know which people we’re talking about. The ones that have the deep institutional knowledge. They are the ones that you introduce to a new employee to by saying, “Jack here knows it all. Feel free to ask him if you get stuck.” Or, “Jill is a great resource for all of us. Check with her about anything.” They are the employees who have been in the trenches and have come out with in-depth knowledge of their job and all its associated tasks.
They are the ones that will be retiring soon! (Cue the scary music!)
Get a cloth and dab that cold sweat that just broke out on your forehead. There is a way to capture Jack and Jill’s knowledge before their last day! It’s time for a DACUM!
What’s a DACUM, you ask? It’s a quick, yet valid, job analysis technique used to identify the key tasks, knowledge, skills, and traits included in a specific occupation. A DACUM creates a very clear picture of what the employee does.
Recently WIDS worked with Teck Alaska Incorporated (Red Dog Operations), a mining company, to conduct several DACUMs. Jason Baca, Senior Trainer commented, “We had several people retiring—and a lot of turnover. We needed a way to capture the knowledge of some of our key workers. DACUM was the answer. It is so sustainable. The structure of the DACUM provided a self-sustaining system for us. We know what people need to learn for each of the first several years they are in a job. This is our model going forward!”
There you go. Now you know the solution to capturing your brain trusts’ knowledge before they head off into retirement to tackle their bucket lists. A DACUM.
WIDS Consultants are great DACUM facilitators. Feel free to contact us to find out more.
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