Practical Techniques

Technique 1: Define Clear Roles: Expert vs. Team Implementer

Structure projects to leverage both specialized and generalist skills:

• Assign the expert responsibility for strategy, design, or complex troubleshooting.
• Task the broader team with implementation, testing, or applying the expert’s framework.
• Clearly communicate how these different roles contribute to the overall goal.

This clarifies contributions and prevents the expert from feeling solely responsible or, conversely, bypassed.

Technique 2: Position Sharing as Mentorship or Guidance

Frame knowledge transfer as a high-value activity:

• Explicitly designate experts as mentors for specific projects or skills.
• Allocate time for experts to guide team members rather than just doing the work themselves.
• Recognize and reward effective mentorship alongside technical contributions.

This elevates the status of sharing expertise, countering fears of diminished value.

Technique 3: Implement Collaborative Review Processes

Build expert input into team workflows:

• Require expert review at key project milestones.
• Establish “office hours” where experts are available for consultation.
• Use pair programming or collaborative problem-solving sessions involving the expert.
• Create feedback loops where the team shares implementation challenges with the expert.

These processes ensure expertise is integrated without making the expert a bottleneck.

Why These Approaches Work

These techniques work because they:

• Acknowledge and utilize specialized expertise effectively.
• Create structured pathways for knowledge sharing that feel safe.
• Prevent experts from feeling either overburdened or undervalued.
• Foster a collaborative environment where diverse contributions are recognized.

Resource Allocation

Ensure that experts designated for guidance or review roles have adequate time allocated for these activities in their workload. Expecting extensive sharing on top of a full technical workload is unrealistic.

Additional Considerations

• Clearly define ownership and decision-making authority between experts and teams.
• Provide platforms and tools that facilitate easy knowledge documentation and sharing.
• Foster a team culture that values learning from experts and asking questions.
• Be mindful of experts who may lack confidence in their teaching or communication skills and offer support.

Related Tips & Concepts

See also: Creating Knowledge Sharing Safety, Documenting Institutional Knowledge, Understanding Knowledge Hoarding