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Knowledge Sharing and Psychology: Why we don’t share knowledge - until we need it

You’ve just solved a tricky problem at work - something that took hours of research, trial and error, and maybe a few Slack messages to your go-to colleagues. It finally clicks. You move on. You think, "I should probably write this down. Might be useful for others." But then the next task rolls in. The urgency of your to-do list trumps the noble idea of documenting what you just learned. And so, like most people, you don’t. And when someone on your team hits the same roadblock a week later, they go through the same process all over again. Sound familiar?

Knowledge Sharing: Great in Theory, Awkward in Practice

We all agree that knowledge sharing is a good thing. It boosts team productivity, reduces duplication of effort, and helps onboard new hires faster. That’s why organizations invest in tools: wikis, SOPs, documentation platforms, webinars, internal newsletters, learning systems... the list goes on. But even with all these resources, people still ask the same questions. The most experienced team members still get pinged repeatedly. And important know-how continues to live inside people’s heads- until they leave the company. The truth is: most knowledge doesn’t get shared. Not because people are lazy. But because we’re human.

What Psychology Tells Us

Research in organizational behavior and workplace psychology gives us some clues:

  • People are more likely to share knowledge when they feel valued, supported, and recognized.
  • Long-term benefits (like improving the company knowledge base) are often not motivating enough when immediate tasks are more urgent.
  • The act of documenting something after the fact feels like extra work - with no guarantee that anyone will read or appreciate it.
  • Some employees fear that sharing questions might expose a lack of knowledge or competence.

Even those with the best intentions fall into the same trap: "I’ll document this later." But later never comes.

My Experience: A Pattern I Kept Seeing

Across my career, I’ve seen this pattern repeat in company after company, team after team. People are most willing to take the extra step to share knowledge when they’re actively solving a problem themselves. That moment when you’re stuck, frustrated, and finally find the answer? That’s the sweet spot. That’s when you’re most focused, and most aware of what you didn’t know - and what someone else might need to know too. But if the system relies on people going back later to document their findings, 9 out of 10 times, it doesn’t happen. Life moves on. Priorities shift. Tasks pile up.

Why Q&A Works So Well

Here’s where the concept of a Q&A-based knowledge system comes in. Instead of asking people to write long documents, it captures knowledge in the form of real questions and real answers.

  • Someone asks a question because they genuinely need help.
  • Someone answers it because they know the answer, or want to help.
  • That exchange is captured, stored, and becomes part of your company’s collective intelligence.

It doesn’t require people to go out of their way to document. It captures knowledge as a natural byproduct of getting work done.

Final Thoughts: Work With Human Nature, Not Against It

The psychology is clear: people act in the moment of need. That’s when they’re motivated, focused, and open to contributing. Q&A platforms don’t compete with other knowledge tools - they complement them. Wikis and SOPs are great for structured, static knowledge. But they don’t catch the dynamic, situational insights that arise in everyday work. Q&A systems are the missing link. They bridge the gap between the chaos of daily collaboration and the need for structured, retrievable knowledge. And they do it without asking anyone to become a part-time technical writer. If your organization is struggling to keep the knowledge flowing, maybe it’s time to stop fighting human nature - and start designing for it.

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