Growth is a good problem to have. It signals that your mission is resonating, your programs are scaling, and your organization is expanding its reach. But growth also creates new challenges, especially when it comes to information, data, and knowledge.
What worked when you were a handful of people working together in one office, quickly falls apart when you've got multiple teams, remote staff, and partners who all need access to the same information. Suddenly finding the "right" version of a document feels like searching for buried treasure.
That's where knowledge management (KM) comes in: not as a static system, but as an evolving practice that matures alongside your team.
Stage 1: Survival Mode (Small Teams)
What it looks like:
- Knowledge lives in people's heads and inboxes.
- "Systems" are Google Drive folder, Dropbox links, or shared OneNote pages.
- Everyone assumes someone else remembers where things are.
Risks:
- If a key staff member leaves, institutional knowledge goes with them.
- Work is duplicated because nobody knows what already exists.
KM Focus:
Start simple. Create a shared digital home for key documents, adopt a basic folder structure, and establish consistent naming conventions. The goal here is reducing risk and making the basics repeatable and findable.
Stage 2: Organized Chaos (Growing Teams)
What it looks like:
- New staff onboard with little documentation and lots of verbal handoffs.
- Multiple copies of "final" documents circulate.
- Slack, Teams, and email get flooded with questions that start with "Does anyone know....?"
Risks:
- Time is wasted searching for information.
- Inconsistent decisions emerge because people rely on different versions of the truth.
- Morale dips when employees feel like they're always reinventing the wheel.
KM Focus:
This is where intentional structure begins:
- Taxonomies and metadata so information can be found.
- Ownership models so content doesn't become outdated.
- Light governance to create clarity without stifling flexibility.
This stage is building the bones of your KM system so your team can scale without collapsing under the weight of disorganization.
Stage 3: Strategic Enablement (Scaling Teams)
What it looks like:
- Multiple departments, programs, or geographies start creating their own systems.
- The organization realizes that "search" is more valuable than "storage."
- KM shifts from being a back-office function to a critical enabler of mission delivery.
Risks:
- Silos develop between teams, creating duplication and blind spots.
- Without intentional alignment, each group reinvents its own wheel.
KM Focus:
- Intranets and knowledge hubs that unify access to policies, resources, and updates.
- Search and discovery tools that make it easy to find information across systems.
- Formalizing procedures so team members know what's expected.
- Content lifecycle management (from creating to archiving) to keep knowledge fresh.
- Cross-functional governance bodies to connect KM to strategy, not just operations.
At this stage, KM becomes an asset for scaling, helping teams align, share, and adapt faster.
Stage 4: Knowledge as Strategy (Mature Organizations)
What it looks like:
- KM is embedded in decision-making, innovation, and impact measurement.
- Knowledge is managed as intentionally as finances.
- Insights are shared not just internally, but also externally with stakeholders and partners.
Risks:
- Complexity slows down if governance isn't clear.
- Without cultural adoption, KM becomes another "system" that nobody uses.
KM Focus:
- Formal governance models that balance flexibility with control.
- Integration with digital transformation efforts, ensuring KM and technology reinforce each other – and AI is being used wisely.
- Knowledge sharing as culture, built into how teams collaborate, innovate, and lead.
- Linking KM to mission outcomes, so it's clear how better knowledge enables better impact.
Why This Matters
No matter the size or mission of your organization, knowledge is one of your most powerful assets. But like any asset, it requires care, structure, and strategy.
- At small scales, KM reduces risk.
- As you grow, it improves efficiency and consistency.
- At maturity, it fuels innovation and drives better outcomes.
At FireOak, we believe that that better knowledge leads to better decisions, and better decisions fuel stronger missions.
