Knowledge Sharing 

Team leaders are knowledge creators.  In his work Leadership in a Culture of Change, Michael Fullan writes that “if you remember one thing about information, it is that it only becomes valuable in a social context.”  This suggests that leaders have the responsibility to shape the context of their teams in order to expand interpersonal learning and knowledge sharing.   According to Fullan, successful leaders must remove the barriers so that team members can begin an open exchange of knowledge, skills, and expertise.

This means establishing guided conversations, creating best practice forums, coaching, cross training, inducting new hires, facilitating open meetings, and linking team members with resources and mentors.

Team leaders are also knowledge sharers.  Most team members share a robust desire to understand “why.” When a change is introduced, the team leader needs to clearly explain why it is happening.  This reduces grumbling and allows team members to reflect on the change.  Often when teams discuss the reasons “why” something is happening, they contribute to problem solving, take hold of the change, and refine procedures.  For example, when team members have an opportunity to discuss the need for better employee training and mentoring, they are more likely to assimilate new hires and bring them up to speed faster.