This workshop will outline the applicable knowledge retention strategies that can help organizations to reduce knowledge loss due to departing staff. Pros, cons and the applicability of each of the techniques will be discussed together with examples and cases on how they have been deployed. The compelling forces that led to the identification of the new skill set for future knowledge workers as well as the needed skills and the way to develop them will also be discussed.

1. Workshop on Knowledge Retention strategies &
Skills for Knowledge Workers
A perfect knowledge storm is hitting many organizations. There are two major forces in this storm. Firstly, there is the
knowledge loss brought about by the huge number of retiring staff who possess decades of experience in their own field
of expertise. Secondly, there is the onset of knowledge work which many organizations and its workers are poorly
prepared for as they lack the specific skills and mindset to confront this new era of work.
13 May 2014, 9:30am – 5:30pm
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Besides the usual staff turnover which undoubtedly causes productivity and knowledge losses, increasingly organizations
also have to deal with the rising number of staff earmarked for retirement - the so called Babyboomers Retirement
Syndrome. This unprecedented wave of baby boomer retirement, which has attracted plenty of media attention, is no
doubt also hitting Hong Kong, both in the civil service and private sectors, now and will continue into the next 10 years.
Classified by Professor Tom Davenport as Expert Workers who spent most of their time working alone or in small teams,
making decisions largely based on their own expertise and experiences, many baby boomers have spent their entire career
in one or a handful of organizations. Besides their own domain of expertise, expert workers have also accumulated a
tremendous amount of knowledge and experience about, among many other things, how to best accomplish a task, whom
to contact for assistance and how to deal with complexity and detect weak signals. In many cases, their competence in
problem identification and their decision making knowledge are extremely difficult to replicate because they have been
developed over decades of unprecedented technological advances and complex business landscape. The replenishment of
the knowledge gap opened up by the departed retirees cannot be achieved overnight nor in a short period of time.
Therefore, knowledge retention strategies are desperately needed to reduce the knowledge leakage/loss brought about by
the departure of these expert workers.
Separate and in addition to the above, the transformation of societies into knowledge-based economies has led to the
emergence of knowledge work which is characterized by unstructured sequence and type of work, collaborative,
knowledge-intensive and yet fuelled with massive information overload. To handle knowledge work competently,
organizational knowledge workers need a paradigmatic shift to their mindset as well as to acquire new competencies.
There are now sufficient research findings that pinpoint the skills needed for knowledge workers by year 2020.
This workshop will outline the applicable knowledge retention strategies that can help
organizations to reduce knowledge loss due to departing staff. Pros, cons and the
applicability of each of the techniques will be discussed together with examples and
cases on how they have been deployed. The compelling forces that led to the
identification of the new skill set for future knowledge workers as well as the needed
skills and the way to develop them will also be discussed.
Programmme
Who Should Attend
This workshop will cover:
Knowledge Work
Types of Knowledge Workers
The “Babyboomers Retirement Syndrome”
Skills needed by Knowledge Workers by 2020
Knowledge Retention (KR) Strategies
 Applicable soft and technical KM tools
 Compelling forces shaping the evolution of the KBE
 Employee Lifecycle Approach
 Ways to measure the success of KR strategies
 Case Studies
 Business Managers / Directors
 Knowledge/Innovation Managers
 Human Resources Professionals
 IT Directors / CIO
 Learning and Development Professionals
 Process / Organizational Development Specialists
 Researchers
 Business Strategists
 Recruitment Officers
Abstract
Introduction

2. Prof. Eric Tsui
Professor & Associate Director
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre, PolyU
Eric Tsui was Chief Research Officer, Asia Pacific and Innovation Manager at Computer Sciences
Corporation (CSC) between 2000 and 2005 and currently a Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University. He practices and carries out research in, among others, Knowledge Management
technologies, taxonomy creation and maintenance, knowledge communities, Web 2.0, Cloud Computing
and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). Professor Tsui is a member of the CIGREF Foundation
(France) ISD programme committee specialising on Web 2.0, a member of the AIIM (USA) advisory
board on Enterprise 2.0, a research advisor to the Artificial Intelligence Cluster at MIMOS Berhad
(Malaysia), an honorary advisor in KM for the HK Police College and a member of the Technology
Assessment Sub-Committee in the Hospital Authority. In the past 7 years, he has custom designed and
delivered numerous workshops on KM technologies, enterprise portals, collaboration tools,
Web/Enterprise 2.0, Social Media, and Personal KM. A member of both the Australian and Hong Kong
Computer Societies, he has B.Sc. (Hons.), MBA and PhD qualifications.
Facebook profile
https://www.facebook.com/eric.tsui.58
LinkedIn profile (Top 1% of most viewed profiles in 2012)
http://hk.linkedin.com/in/ericyhtsui
Academia.edu profile
http://polyu.academia.edu/EricTsui
Registration Fee
Regular Fee: HK$1,400 KMIRC member: HK$1,120
*Registration fee covers handout, lunch and refreshments
**Medium of instruction: English
Please register online on KMIRC website http://kmirc.ise.polyu.edu.hk/events.htm
Biography of the FACILITATORS
Ms Nicole Sy
Knowledge Management Specialist,
Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre, PolyU
Ms Nicole Sy works as a Knowledge Management Specialist. She provides knowledge management
related consultancy services to external clients such as CLP Power Ltd., Dragon Air, Leo Paper Ltd.,
Child Assessment Services of Health Department of the HKSAR Government and Housing Department
of the HKSAR Government. In addition, she has been involved in various knowledge management
projects and corporate knowledge management training in prestigious companies in Hong Kong. Ms Sy
is also the Program Leader for the Certified Knowledge Professional (CKP) programme. Her
knowledge management specializations are: information and knowledge audits, methods to manage and
measure knowledge management performance, developing and implementing knowledge management
strategies/knowledge management system, knowledge management process development, and the
design/implementation of knowledge management tools. Ms Sy has B.Comm. (Hons.) and MSc
(Information System) qualifications. Prior to joining the KMIRC, she worked as Marketing Manager in
various industrial sectors, covering retailing (Li & Fung Retail Group), manufacturing (Universe
Holdings Ltd) and telecommunications (PCCW Ltd).
Enquiries: Miss Autumn Lin
(Tel: 3400 3158, Email: qiu.lin@polyu.edu.hk)