Getting the Balance Right: Integrating IT and Person-to-Person Knowledge Transfer Techniques

With a large percentage of veteran nuclear facility inspectors soon to retire and many replacement workers to be trained, attention is focused on how best to transfer existing knowledge from one generation of inspectors to the next. Many prescriptions have been offered for how to capture, preserve and transfer this knowledge – some focusing on elaborate technological “fixes”, others on increased attention to traditional approaches. What is often lacking is the perspective to see how solutions of both types might usefully complement one another. This paper explores factors to consider in deciding on an approach to knowledge transfer in the safeguards environment, examines how key knowledge transfer activities are currently delivered, and offers suggestions on new knowledge transfer technologies and approaches that promise to deliver better results than traditional methods alone. Finally, the paper highlights key success factors in achieving a balanced and effective approach to knowledge transfer. Although this paper refers to specific situations involving International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors, the discussion in this paper is generally applicable to other organizations employing highly-specialized knowledge workers.