Undoubtedly, banking institutions in Mexico and in the world are a great source of knowledge, due to their constant updating in technology and working methods, which allows them to compete in a globalized environment. For this reason, the profile of the personnel that works in these companies has certain characteristics that make it highly valuable in the labor market. We can find from personnel with a basic university academic degree to doctors in finance and administration.
There is a wide and very varied range of personnel with both general and specific knowledge. Then, we would think that financial institutions, specifically in the area of systems, gather not only technical knowledge, but also financial, administrative, sociological, and accounting knowledge, so we could ask ourselves, does this not represent great wealth as an asset for banking institutions?
All this knowledge takes the form of Intellectual Capital for banking institutions. Just as a company's fixed assets are managed and expressed in financial statements, so companies must be able to manage that asset called Intellectual Capital as something intangible but that exists in each of the people who work in it. We should not confuse personnel administration with its own human resources functions, with the type of administration that it can handle, such as Knowledge Management.
Knowledge Management is the way how we are going to capture, organize and access all the experiences, skills, ideas, processes and knowledge that exist in the company and that the members of the organization keep for the use of their functions. For this it is necessary to start with the basic process that consists of the creation of the knowledge that occurs in the framework of daily learning, the accumulation of experiences and the development of skills; later, by sharing and exporting it to the rest of the members of a group or organization. Learning is, therefore, an important element to be able to assess the wisdom in each person.
All the knowledge that the organization acquires through its personnel is as valuable or more than the same fixed assets, and that is, because we are talking about the people who make up that organization, and without a doubt, the human element is what more valuable.
We can work on the learning aspects in organizations and people, and thus we will also be involved in the way in which work groups make up knowledge cells and interact through continuous improvement groups and therefore, the Knowledge can be shared naturally within the organization.
The human resource that works in the systems areas of banking institutions is highly volatile, due to its acquired capacity and because its knowledge can be applied not only to other competing banking institutions, but also outside of that area. Given the enormous amount of economic resources that are used to prepare people who collaborate in this type of company, it is very expensive when for various reasons, people stop providing their services for the company.
Just as it is expensive, preparing a person to carry out an activity within an office, the more expensive it is not to retain part or all of the knowledge that he acquires throughout the time he works in the company. The systems areas, by their nature, work at the rate that their users demand and therefore it is difficult to stop their work to be able to carry out other types of tasks that could make up an added value to their activities and an economic value. to the organization. Tasks such as training and knowledge sharing are given, the first in many cases, to meet a designated budget and a moral commitment from managers, and the second through very quick talks, group meetings, and trainings, which in little or nothing they fulfill the function of sharing knowledge.
Both tasks are of fundamental importance for the creation of the intellectual capital of companies. Not only is there learning through training in courses aimed at covering areas of opportunity or deficiencies, but there is also organizational learning that today is not understood as an element that promotes people's initiative, which induces the motivation of learn to teach and establish organizational commitments, which, although not written, should be manifested as behaviors that deserve to be rewarded.
In some banking institutions, monetary rewards exist as the only motivating element towards extra-labor contributions. In many others there are organizational recognitions such as ceremonies or medals. Both are perfectly valid. However, the person is left aside as a generator of knowledge and that can be motivated by involving her as a primary part in a process of organizational culture change.
People are not exploited and in some cases are ignored. Consequently, they leave the companies and although the economic loss is not reflected in the short term, it does manifest itself in the medium and long term when deficiencies, deficiencies and difficulties arise from knowing what it was that person was doing and that no one now can do, because there was no intention to share the knowledge or to retain it from the company. A learning curve to be overcome is generated, not only in the person who replaces it, but in the group, which could have been avoided by “rescuing part or all” of the knowledge that had previously been created.
The manager, director and owner of the company, play a fundamental role in the planning of objectives that allow to retain their staff for an even longer period. In a shorter period of time, the organization must try to “capture” the knowledge of this person in order to promote their development and manage said asset.
It is common that in systems companies, there are "gurus", prominent members who are consulted to answer any questions and / or give suggestions about a system or problem that arise within the construction of the same. Could we achieve that the " gurus "were the forerunners and guides of a cultural change that is transmitted to all other members of the organization so that knowledge is shared and" stored "in an organizational repository ?; If we achieve this, we would be taking a very important step for a culture of excellence and the foundations of a Knowledge Management strategy.
In conclusion, systems organizations must be able to implement a cultural change from the operational levels to the managerial levels. Proper management and hard work on the part of the Human Factor or Human Resources groups, to “convince” of the benefits of sharing knowledge at all levels of the organization, would be the recommendations that your server would give in general terms for to start with Knowledge Management.
