TABLE OF CONTENTS Knowledge transfer clearly depends on communication. There are many channels available for that communication, including meetings, documents, extranets, and others. Each channel has different characteristics in how it facilitates and enables knowledge transfer. These features must be considered in order to build communication strategies that maximize knowledge transfer, the value added to clients, and the depth of relationships.
Some communication channels are far better suited to certain projects and situations than others. However, in client relationships the issue is not choosing the best single channel or channels, but managing the overall portfolio of channels to achieve the greatest impact. The issues of managing client contact from the perspective of relationship development will be covered more in Chapter 7. In this chapter we will focus on how to use the communication channels available to maximize knowledge transfer, though the issues are closely linked.
The concepts of information richness and media richness in organizational communication were first introduced by Daft and Lengel. [1] They defined information richness as the ability of information to change understanding within a time interval, and noted that communication media vary in their capacity to process rich information. The idea of changed under- standing is clearly that of knowledge, or changed mental models.
The researchers reported that the richest medium is face-to-face meetings, because it provides multiple cues via body language, facial expression, and tone of voice, and provides immediate feedback so interpretation can be checked.
