Comments on: CoWorkers Hoard Their Ideas

By: sam

sam — Thu, 04 May 2006 09:42:24 +0000

well -accountability is of the utmost importance to run any enterprise. even if accountability suffers at the individual level , it is enough to drive awedge in the system.

By: Reg

Reg — Thu, 04 May 2006 01:28:20 +0000

I’m not sure I would agree, at least not as a blanket statement. I believe the temperament of the coworker determines how forthright they are. Now, I would agree that certain profession attract people of a very closed nature.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Wed, 03 May 2006 18:34:38 +0000

Thanks for your thoughts (see the link above) Mike.

I like the passionate sharing but I like the knowledgeable and passionate sharing a lot more. 2,500 years ago a brilliant sage observed “those who know don’t speak, those who speak don’t know.” (Update blog for speak and you can see what we’re up against).

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 03 May 2006 00:16:43 +0000

Laurence,

This looks like a good spot for an “I resemble that remark” quip. I’m not sure I’m well-read enough to cite specific examples, but that’s never stopped me from bloviating in the past. I’ll update my post with my answer: http://spookyaction.blogspot.com/2006/05/why-co-workers-hoard-information.html

And thanks for asking!

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Tue, 02 May 2006 21:50:55 +0000

Mike,
Do you have any thoughts on what knowledge hoarding means for business blogs?

I see a link between what you posted and the fact that business blogs are either very short-lived or nitwittery.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 02 May 2006 20:26:16 +0000

Good comments from Mohit and Laurence. I'm hoping to prevent further study of this topic by clearly stating the problem and solution here: http://spookyaction.blogspot.com/2006/05/why-co-workers-hoard-information.html

By: Rob

Rob — Tue, 02 May 2006 18:32:32 +0000

Good points. Nothing irks people more than to share their ideas only to see others get the glory.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Tue, 02 May 2006 18:28:42 +0000

I guess someone else was hording the many previous studies that “found” the same thing.

But Rob go back to your post about the CEO who plagarized those principles and you can imagine why subordinates in his organization might hoard their knowledge.

By: mohit - 'management by matrices'

mohit - 'management by matrices' — Tue, 02 May 2006 18:22:26 +0000

Not surprising at all, since most organizations, for some inexplicable reason use the normal distribution curve to plot employee performance. This means that the only way you can get ahead is at the expense of others. A normal distribution oriented performance culture simply cannot support idea sharing.