Rachel Teague: Profiles in Knowledge — Rising Stars Series

Originally published January 4, 2025

18 min readJan 5, 2025

This is the 111th article in the Profiles in Knowledge series featuring thought leaders in knowledge management and the first in the Rising Stars Series. Rachel Teague is a KM consultant, speaker, facilitator, educator, and writer. Her primary focus is the human dimension of KM, focusing on culture, knowledge transfer, and knowledge retention. She specializes in change management, process improvement, and diversity/equity/inclusion in the realms of knowledge, education, and organizational enhancement.

I met Rachel at an SIKM KMWorld dinner, introduced by John Hovell. I wrote about her presentation at the 2023 Midwest KM Symposium. At KMWorld 2024, Rachel suggested that I start a new Rising Stars Series. I liked the idea and asked her to collaborate with me on it. Starting this year, Rachel and I will feature an up-and-coming thought leader in knowledge management as the first Profile in Knowledge of each quarter.

Interview

I posed ten questions to Rachel to kick off the series. Here are her answers.

1. What led you into the field of KM, and why are you passionate about it?

Like many, I fell into KM largely by accident. I had transitioned out of a job at the university that had been eliminated and into what I now refer to as my gap year where I joined the family business on a payroll consulting project as the person responsible for documentation. My counterpart was an incredibly smart man who could read any manual and immediately use the new thing in the course of a weekend, but lacked the skills necessary to work with the people responsible for the implementing the new thing. My sweet spot was communicating and building rapport with the people through the change at hand and helping capture the tacit knowledge. I didn’t have the words or know-how at the time to recognize that what I was doing was KM. Fast forward to a year later when the project wrapped, things lined up, and I made my boomerang back to the university in a brand new role doing training and documenting for a KM team. I’ve been back at the university for 5 years now (bringing my total to 8).

I am passionate about what I do because in my world, KM isn’t just about process or systems — at the core it’s about people; to see how the dots connect so to speak, and to really take the time to understand how each decision/person/problem/perspective/idea influences the overall culture is truly a fascinating case study in and of itself.

2. What are your specialties?

Many people have the misconception that KM has to be far more complex than what it actually is at its core — which is about people. My specialty in KM has become just that — my focus has been on all things people, culture, sharing, networking, and knowledge transfer. I love being able to help translate nerd to human and make KM accessible to everyone.

3. Who are your influences, and why?

In the KM space, I owe much of my foundation to my friend and mentor, John Hovell. From introducing me to key people and ideas in our community, to countless hours of conversation and problem-solving, John has been an incredible guide throughout my KM and consultancy journey.

I’m also fortunate to have a small group of Women in KM who I connect with regularly — at least a few times a week. This group has become a solid support system in my life. A handful of us maintain an ongoing WhatsApp thread that helps us navigate time zones (one member lives full-time in the Middle East). Through this thread, we collaborate in real time to tackle the biggest KM challenges that cross our desks, celebrate wins, and share news. Together, we also co-facilitate a larger Women in KM group on LinkedIn. While we weren’t as active as we hoped to be in 2024, only meeting once per quarter, we have high hopes for stepping it up in 2025!

4. If you could only implement one component as part of a KM program, what would it be, and why?

That’s an interesting question! I naturally gravitate toward people-focused aspects like collaboration, communities, culture and values, and training — all of which are critical components of a KM program. However, if I could only implement one thing, I’d choose having a dedicated knowledge manager.

An expert KM practitioner can effectively tie all these pieces together while advocating for the value KM brings. Acting as the System Convener (a term coined by the Wenger-Trayners), this individual can bring the right stakeholders to the table — L&D for training, senior leaders for buy-in and culture shifts, KM champions for cross-functional collaboration, and IT for the technical setup of a repository. With this leadership in place, a KM program can evolve from just an idea into a fully realized and impactful initiative.

5. What is your vision for a successful KM program?

My vision for a successful KM is rooted in creating a dynamic, inclusive, and sustainable system that empowers individuals and organizations to thrive through effective knowledge sharing, retention, and innovation. I want to harness its power as a tool for transformation — one that builds bridges between people, preserves the past while preparing for the future, and ensures that knowledge becomes a force for positive, sustainable change in every context it touches.

In an ideal world a program will include:

Creating a Culture of Learning and Sharing — I envision KM as a cornerstone of organizational culture, where knowledge flows freely and intentionally across teams and hierarchies. Leadership actively supports and models a strong learning and sharing ethos, ensuring that no one operates in silos and that knowledge is treated as a shared resource rather than a personal asset.
Purpose-Driven Knowledge Strategies — Clearly defined strategies that align KM efforts with organizational goals. These strategies prioritize not only the immediate needs of the organization but also long-term sustainability, adaptability, and innovation.
Inclusive & Collaborative KM Systems — My vision emphasizes KM systems that are accessible, user-friendly, and inclusive. These systems respect diverse perspectives and make space for voices that are often underrepresented, particularly within marginalized communities.
Empowering Others Through Knowledge Transfer — KM is more than just preserving information — it’s about enabling others to succeed by sharing knowledge in ways that are practical, actionable, and meaningful. My focus on knowledge transfer and retention reflects a commitment to helping individuals and teams navigate transitions and achieve long-term success.
An Ethical & Human-Centered Approach — Grounded in my values, my KM vision promotes ethical practices. It resists the commodification of knowledge and instead treats it as a vital tool for growth, problem-solving, and connection. This also includes a focus on equity, ensuring that everyone — from employees to external collaborators — benefits from the shared knowledge ecosystem.
Continuous Learning & Adaptation — KM is never static. It must adapt to evolving challenges and technologies while fostering a mindset of continuous learning — not just for individuals, but for entire organizations. KM as a living, breathing discipline that evolves as people and organizations grow.

6. What are you most proud of in your career so far?

I’m most proud of the unconventional path that brought me to where I am today. In all my experience, I’ve only met one person who intentionally set out to build a career in knowledge management (KM). My own journey has been anything but linear — full of twists, turns, and a foundation rooted in education and training — but it’s a path I wouldn’t trade, and I’m proud of where it’s led me. I wouldn’t call myself the most famous or “successful” person out there — though success is a whole other debate — but I’ve worked incredibly hard to get here. The past few years have been a whirlwind: finishing my doctorate, stepping fully into the KM space, teaching, launching a consulting practice with my wife, and making a point to learn something new every day. Even now, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the field and doing work that feels meaningful, I know there’s still so much more to learn. Looking back, I’m especially proud of how my nontraditional path shaped me. It took time to find my place, but discovering KM has felt like finding the missing piece to a puzzle I’ve been working on my whole life.

7. What would you like to accomplish in the short term and long term?

Goals in no general order:

Write a book on KM to make it more accessible for the average person.
Continue to grow my business with my wife.
Shift away from a grassroots KM movement at the university and moving toward a formalized enterprise-wide KM strategy.
Help people leverage KM in their personal lives.

8. What are your top three knowledge nuggets/insights/lessons learned?

KM initiatives don’t need to be huge endeavors. Sometimes even the smallest changes/projects can lead to the greatest successes. I am a habitual list maker and, in my experience, as gratifying as it is to see a massive project completed, the dopamine hit can be just as satisfying to cross off a dozen small projects one at a time toward a larger goal. The list can include process documents created or updated, new people trained, important conversations scheduled and/or had and communications shared. These seemingly small or simple things can be incredibly vital to any major project or implementation, and being able to see the progress toward the goal in real time can be incredibly impactful.
Anyone can participate in KM. You don’t need a fancy degree or certification to be successful in KM — you need to have an interest in sharing, a desire to learn, and willingness to apply your outcomes to your daily efforts.
KM is a team sport as much as it is an individual effort.

9. What led you to suggest the Rising Stars series?

There are so many legends and remarkable people who have laid such a strong foundation in our field, and as with any generational cycle, there comes time for a shift. As I have attended the conference circuit in the last few years I am starting to see more and more of the next generation bringing new ideas and old ideas with new perspective/vision to the table. While we have to honor those who have come before us, it’s time to start looking at our future as well in preparing for what is to come.

10. How can others become Rising Stars featured in this series?

I envision this as a nomination process. Do you know someone who has done something neat in KM? Who is contributing to the community in new ways or practicing old ideas in new ways? I’d love to talk with you. I can be reached at rachel@disruptionleaders.com.

Background

Education

Northcentral University — Doctor of Education — EdD, Global Training & Development with focus on Knowledge Management, 2022
Western Governors University

Master of Science, Management & Leadership, 2016–2017
BA, Education, 2012–2016

Experience

Disruption Learning & Technology LLC — Co-Founder, Principal Consultant, 2023 — Present
Association for Talent Development (ATD) — Learning Facilitator, 2022 — Present
Southern New Hampshire University

Senior Knowledge Management & Training Specialist, 2020 — Present
Adjunct Faculty Instructor, 2021 — Present
Independent Consultant, 2018–2023
Admissions & Training Specialist, 2016–2018

Salter School of Nursing & Allied Health — Senior Admissions Representative, 2015–2016
NH Association for Justice — Education and Membership Coordinator, 2013–2015

Profiles

Content

Save the Knowledge

Without a knowledge management strategy, organizations risk losing vital information.

What a time to be alive and thriving as a professional in today’s talent development workforce. Workers have every opportunity in the palms of their hands to advance and grow in ways earlier generations could never have imagined. Technology has advanced, as have social and professional networks, opportunities for continuing education, learning events, historical knowledge, projects, and miscellaneous data. Organizations are full of individual people who each bring different perspectives and experiences and are essentially their own knowledge warehouses full of all kinds of data on a variety of subjects.

Now consider for a moment that in the wake of the Great Resignation, employees have the power to make moves to find the right professional fit, which also creates increased mobility within companies. There’s also the natural attrition that retirement brings. Those realities put the aforementioned knowledge warehouses at risk. Suddenly — with attrition and changes facing an employer more regularly — the impacts of knowledge moving and leaving organizations come at a cost felt far and wide with loss that is not just financial (such as the cost of hiring, onboarding, and training) but also intellectual in nature (for example, team productivity, organizational culture, tacit knowledge, and time).

What if I said that organizations can save much of that lost knowledge before it is too late? With the right tools and organizational mindset in place, knowledge retention can be relatively easy to achieve.

Having a well-defined knowledge management (KM) strategy is a proactive approach to capturing and documenting essential roles and critical information. Without such a strategy, a company risks not only the financial investment tied to recruitment but also the intangible loss of valuable insights and institutional knowledge that departing employees possess.

KM transcends mere process and technology systems; it is fundamentally about people — individuals, organizations, communities, and cultures. By implementing a robust KM strategy, a company demonstrates a commitment to preserving and leveraging the collective wisdom of its workforce.

In essence, KM is a strategic investment, ensuring that the wealth of knowledge within an organization remains intact even as individuals transition in and out.

Types of knowledge

In its standard for knowledge management (ISO-30401), the International Organization for Standardization defines knowledge as “a human or organizational asset enabling effective decisions and action in context.” With that definition in mind, there are three types of knowledge that people commonly interact with every day: tacit, implicit, and explicit.

Tacit knowledge is that which someone acquires through personal experience and is challenging to express using words, whether spoken or written. To illustrate the concept, consider the perspective of a skilled potter at their wheel. The potter can discern the condition of their clay solely through touch, instinctively knowing whether it’s suitable for their work.

Via extensive practice, the experienced potter has developed an innate understanding of what’s required to achieve their desired results, even though they may struggle to articulate it in precise terms or measurements. Nevertheless, they can try to guide others and share their expertise by demonstrating techniques. In the context of TD, an example of tacit knowledge is understanding the dynamics of the relationship between a facilitator and their participants during a training course.

Implicit knowledge is information that comes from understanding and experience, often acquired by someone being present for or engaging in an activity. A knowledge holder can usually express that type of knowledge in words, but they haven’t formally recorded or documented any of it.

Unlike tacit knowledge, which is difficult to articulate, implicit knowledge is usually much easier for knowledge holders to express. Additionally, people who work in similar fields commonly assume that others possess such knowledge, leading to a tendency to neglect the need for formal documentation. For example, the facilitator of an instructional design program may assume that a participant has a baseline understanding of how to operate the technology the class will use during the course.

Explicit knowledge is that which a knowledge holder writes down, documents, and makes especially clear through written mediums such as a process handbook or knowledge repository. Individuals easily share explicit knowledge because they understand and explain it with visual information. An example of explicit knowledge is content in an on-demand course.

In their book Working Knowledge, KM pioneers Thomas Davenport and Laurence Prusak describe KM as “a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knowers. In organizations, it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms.”

The purpose of KM is to move from tacit knowledge, where it may sit in the knowledge holder’s head, to a place where the knowledge holder communicates it in such a way through documentation and sharing that it is easily accessible, therefore making it explicit knowledge. To save knowledge before it walks out the door, a company must identify what knowledge exists in the first place and what gaps exist with regard to documentation, process steps, and communication.

There are many ways to bank knowledge, spanning from basic succession planning done in-house, leveraging internal skills and resources, to hiring an external consultant to complete a comprehensive knowledge gap analysis.

While there is value in hiring a consultant to assist with completing a comprehensive analysis, it isn’t always necessary to go that route. Regardless of whether a company plans to make changes to embrace knowledge retention on its own or with a consultant, there are two main steps to take.

Step 1: Identify knowledge

The overarching question a company needs to ask is: Does our organization document knowledge? To get a complete picture of how knowledge exists within the organization, it must collect data from every department. Ideally, each department will identify one or two representatives to share the state of their team’s knowledge. Depending on the company size and logistical constraints, the organization can collect the information via a semi-structured interview or a survey.

Laying the groundwork for an effective knowledge gap analysis, whether simple or complex in nature, begins by determining what knowledge currently exists. It could be in the form of physical or electronic documents such as job aids, frequently asked questions, how-to guides, handbooks, process documents, or department-specific onboarding and offboarding practices; visual content via videos; or even undocumented information residing in the minds of tenured staff. Don’t be afraid to ask for a sample of any physical document.

Next, identify where knowledge lives. For instance, it could be in the learning management system, a centralized repository, a dedicated universal or team-specific knowledge base, SharePoint, or a wiki.

In addition, determine how freely knowledge flows from place to place. Is knowledge well documented and easy for staff to access and find, or is it siloed or stuck in different internal locations? Does the organization have a culture that embraces knowledge sharing? Further, how does knowledge exist within its domain as it relates to its life cycle? For instance, what is the cadence for revisions, retirement, and updates?

Examine the information gathered and consider the where and how.

Do people know where to find knowledge and, even more important, has someone documented the knowledge?
Is knowledge stored in the same place? Different places? Are there similarities worth noting?
Is there a master repository, and do people trust the knowledge?

Across departments:

Does knowledge look the same? Are similar templates or structures in place?
Does knowledge sound the same? Is the taxonomy similar?
Are people sharing knowledge?

Consider the story the data is telling. There is often more than enough knowledge in an organization to keep it running. But as a company experiences attrition and circumstances pivot and change on a moment’s notice (such as during a pandemic, which can change the concept of work overnight), tacit knowledge can only remain sustainable and viable for so long. Therefore, companies must ensure that employees are transitioning tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge in a place where the workforce can easily retrieve it.

Step 2: Build a bridge

Building a bridge from tacit to explicit knowledge requires having the right tools.

Foster a knowledge-sharing culture. Organizations must set the expectation from the beginning that knowledge sharing is for everyone, from the CEO to custodial staff. It is imperative to make cross-departmental collaboration and communication the norm on a company-wide scale.

Many businesses have defined value statements or brand behaviors that leaders often reference and sometimes celebrate at all-staff meetings and in internal staff communications. Organizations should use those opportunities to capitalize on knowledge sharing. For some companies, such a culture shift may seem radical, but to make forward momentum, it is necessary to prioritize. Remember that planting small seeds can grow a beautiful, bountiful harvest.

Incorporate KM tools in daily operations, one at a time. Knowledge transfer and retention don’t have to be a giant, overwhelming process every time. In fact, starting small and documenting a little bit of information at a time on a standardized template can add up. Over time, teams and the company will build a new repository full of clean, accurate information that is easy for staff to find and access.

In addition to standard templates, other KM tools to incorporate into daily operations that will encourage knowledge sharing and retention are lunch & learns, formal process captures resulting in official documentation for updating roles and responsibilities among a team, all-staff meetings, and visual process flow charts.

Treat people as the greatest asset. One of the best ways for a company to make its employees feel valued is by treating them well and promoting learning at all levels, regardless of job title. When an organization creates an environment that encourages continuous learning and invests in employee success, staff will more likely feel valued and motivated to contribute their talents in return. They will freely share information and learn from each other. Social learning is just as valuable as formal learning, especially in the workplace, because it is where a lot of knowledge sharing and retention happens.

When team members feel comfortable and supported in their roles and environment, they are more likely to embrace changes within the company. That creates a smooth transition and boosts overall organizational morale.

In a world of constant change, saving valuable knowledge is a company’s secret weapon. By making knowledge sharing a way of life, promoting ongoing learning, and integrating KM tools into daily operations, employers can secure a brighter future. Ensure that knowledge stays where it belongs.

Assembling a Knowledge Governance Committee

Companies should form a committee comprising individuals across the organization to manage a knowledge gap analysis. Identifying one or two people from each department or major team ensures that every team has a voice. In analyzing the collected data, committee members must look for areas of clear similarities, differences, and crossover regarding knowledge — for example, in terms of process, procedure, taxonomy, repository, templates, culture, and norms.

After the committee articulates and presents its findings to stakeholders, it will then shift to serving in the capacity of a knowledge governance committee designed to advise and determine best practices for the organization to follow regarding anything related to knowledge management.

SIKM Leaders Community

Posts

New Year, New Personal KM Tools?

I’ve always had the good fortune of being super organized in managing the chaos of my day job/clients/family very well by my use of lists, calendars and even designated repositories for personal knowledge management. I’ve dabbled with tools like Rocket Book, TeamUp Calendars, many of the MS and Google tools, MindMap and most recently dipped my toe in with Asana for a Board I’m on (frankly I’m not sold there yet).

With all of those in mind I am curious- are there any tools or resources you’ve found helpful or that you can’t live without that make your life easier? Conversely, are there any you can’t stand that you’d steer me away from?

Old habits die hard for me and even with access to many tools, I still fall back on my paper lists. I’d love to (maybe) turn a new page for the new year.

Articles by Others

9th Annual Midwest KM Symposium: Part 6: Rachel Teague

Turnover troubles: How to save institutional knowledge when your employee leaves by Paige Gross

Conferences

APQC 2024 — Looking at KM Through Systems & Human Lenses: Can One Exist Without the Other?

KMWorld 2024 — A303: KM Through Systems & Human Lenses — Slides

2023 Midwest KM Symposium — Applying Knowledge Transfer: Real Life Tools in Real Life Examples

2023 Volunteer NH: Keynote: The Greatest Lessons I’ve Learned Come From Volunteering

In her professional and personal life, Dr. Rachel Teague has been known to wear a lot of “hats.” She’s a system convener, writer, Knowledge Transfer & Retention Expert, wife & mom, collaborator, volunteer, an adjunct instructor — and even an award-winning amateur cook! With such a breadth of roles, each with a variety of responsibilities and skill requirements, it can be easy to wonder where she learned the skills to do it all. For Rachel, there is one answer: volunteering.

Hear from Rachel as she relates how her past experience volunteering — in her community as a youth, as an AmeriCorps member, and even in places like the NH State Prison for Women — have been integral in shaping her foundational values and her career path. As the world emerges from COVID, Rachel will demonstrate how robust volunteerism programs can affect everyone’s lives for the better and how nonprofits can take advantage of this time of transition to learn from past experiences, to innovate, and to inspire their communities.