Hoe praktische wetenschap en denkprocessen jouw bedrijf sterker maakt&

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I have a lot of respect for true professionals. When one of them leaves a company in the manufacturing or process industry, it has a major impact on the organisation because they take a lot of knowledge and experience with them. If that knowledge isn’t properly recorded, as is often the case, you’re right back where you started. That’s the realisation that inspired me to develop a scientific method during my time as a student at the University of Twente,” says Wouter Schotborgh, co-director of ELICIT Online, a leading software and consultancy firm that actively focuses on recording and transferring knowledge in the process and manufacturing industry.

 

Proven method

“At its core, it’s about identifying the essential parameters and decision-making moments that are part of an expert’s intuitive thought processes,” Wouter continues. As it turns out, this seemingly magical process that goes on inside someone’s head can be captured in the form of a model. An experienced operator or technologist can understand what’s wrong with a faulty machine or process in a matter of seconds, and by listening for certain sounds or looking at specific information, that person can resolve the issue. So far, so good, you might say. The problem is, however, that this solution stems from thought processes going on inside the person’s brain. Instead, you want these processes to be objectively recreated in the form of a technological solution. That’s what makes a strong and independent organisation: extracting knowledge from people’s minds and making it useable throughout the entire organisation.

 

Snel en praktische denkprocessen

‘Door een systematische manier van ondervragen vullen we het kennismodel heel pragmatisch, stap voor stap. Het eindresultaat is een kennisstructuur die de essentiële observaties, informatiestromen en beslismomenten in een bedrijfsproces blootlegt. Een belangrijk kenmerk is de concentratie op de essentie, zegt Wouter. ‘Het gaat er dus om dat je weet welke vragen je moet stellen. Je hoeft hiervoor niet véél te vragen, maar wel precies de goede vragen. Focussen op de kern, populair gezegd. Onze methode werkt snel en praktisch, binnen 3 tot 5 contactmomenten zijn we in staat om 30 jaar ervaring vast te leggen en met onze tool beschikbaar te maken voor de hele organisatie.’

 

Knowledge is key

“Knowledge and experience are key if a business wants to survive in today’s economy, which offers plenty of opportunities as well as fierce competition. Add to that the rapid pace at which the world is changing, plus ever-increasing globalisation, and you’ll see how safeguarding knowledge and experience is essential to an organisation’s survival.”