My husband and I were hanging out on our balcony in Cancun, Mexico, talking about our goals, creative ideas and anything really on our mind. He was talking about his perspective on work and shared the phenomenon known as the curse of knowledge and we got into a pretty good discussion about this challenge. This cognitive bias happens when an individual, usually a long-term employee, struggles to communicate effectively with new team members due to their own deep-seated understanding of the company, industry, clients etc. The result? A disconnect and even disengagement that hinders collaboration, confidence, learning, productivity and overall team dynamics.
When we've been somewhere or involved in something for a long time, we unintentionally forget what it's like to be a beginner. Overtime, we have accumulated a wealth of skills, insights, knowledge and yes, even jargon and acronyms that every company has, that it becomes second nature. When we forget what beginning looks and feels like, the oversight leads to confusion, miscommunication and frustration.
To address the curse of knowledge requires intentional effort and a cultural shift. Here's a few ways to bridge this knowledge gap:
Encourage and promote mentorship to facilitate proper knowledge transfer and allow a learning space to ask questions.
Simplify communication and avoid jargon/acronyms. And if you can't avoid the acronyms, at least create a list to hand off to help with understanding.
Develop a feedback loop right from new team members. Ask about their onboarding experience, highlight any areas where they felt overwhelmed, confused, lost and use this information for continuous improvement so onboarding becomes smoother over time.
Team Human Conversation
Fight workplace zombies in your organization and join Team Human! Gather a group of fellow workplace zombie hunters to discuss our most recent blog post. Use the questions below to kick-start your conversation.
Can you share an instance where you personally experienced situations where this curse has impacted team dynamics or project outcomes?
What are other strategies we can consider to mitigate the curse of knowledge?
What steps can we take to encourage better communication across different experience levels within the team?
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