Lost knowledge : confronting the threat of an aging workforce / David W. DeLong.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 227-242) and index.

pt. I. The high cost of losing intellectual capital -- The landscape of lost knowledge -- Diagnosing the strategic impacts of lost knowledge -- A strategic framework for action -- pt. II. Evaluating knowledge retention practices -- Developing an HR infrastructure for knowledge retention -- Improving the transfer of explicit knowledge -- Transferring implicit and tacit knowledge -- Applying IT to capture, store, and share intellectual capital -- After the knowledge is gone -- pt. III. Implementing retention strategies -- Stemming the flow of lost knowledge : stories of early adopters -- Launching knowledge retention initiatives : principles for action -- Overcoming organizational barriers to knowledge retention -- Creating the future : thinking strategically about knowledge retention.

Executives today recognize that their firms face a wave of retirements over the next decade as the baby boomers hit retirement age. At the other end of the talent pipeline, the younger workforce is developing a different set of values and expectations, which creates new recruiting and employee retention issues. The evolution from an older, traditional, highly-experienced workforce to a younger, more mobile, employee base poses significant challenges, particularly when considered in the context of the long-term orientation towards downsizing and cost cutting. This is a solution-oriented book to address one of the most pressing management problems of the coming years: How do organizations transfer the critical expertise and experience of their employees before that knowledge walks out the door? It begins by outlining the broad issues and providing tools for developing a knowledge-retention strategy and function. It then goes on to outline best practices for retaining knowledge, including knowledge transfer practices, using technology to enable knowledge retention, retaining older workers and retirees, and outsourcing lost capabilities. - Publisher.