Why We Often Don’t Share Useful Information With Our Colleagues

The more fluid the labor market becomes and the shorter employees tend to stay within an organization, the more important it is to ensure that the skills, knowledge, and information generated by those employees remain within the company.

A simple example: in a sales position, employees often change every two years. A new employee in such a role would greatly benefit if the company could transfer the condensed experience of previous sales representatives—tips, strategies, and even failures.

However, there are still companies, especially those under strong performance pressure, that do not encourage employees to share information among themselves.

The reasons can vary. In some cases, managers may fear a loss of status if information becomes widely accessible. Employees might exchange uncomfortable insights or discover unequal working conditions and begin demanding equal treatment or compensation. Managers may also worry that shared information could be used in ways that might harm the company.

Other companies recognize the need to manage knowledge and information more effectively, but they focus primarily on tools: What is the right platform? Is it Slack, or is it Notion, where employees can deposit their insights?

However, experience shows that information sharing often fails not because of a lack of tools or technical skills, but due to deeper organizational reasons:

First, the incentive structure within the company may discourage sharing. If I share valuable information with my colleagues, I may lose my competitive advantage and risk being overlooked or “demoted” informally. This can be addressed by introducing team-based or department-based bonuses, thereby encouraging collaboration and shared success.

Second, a low level of psychological safety can make employees hesitant to share their experiences, especially negative ones. Yet it is often precisely from failure stories that an organization can learn the most and improve its systems.

Third, information may be seen as personal territory. If I developed certain knowledge myself and invested significant effort into it, I may feel that others do not automatically have the right to access it.

What do you think? How do you handle these obstacles in your organization?

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Communication Psychology and HR: in small and practical lessons once a week.

With a focus on international and multilingual business conversations.

Gerhard Ohrband is a psychologist from Hamburg/Germany, specialized in Communication Psychology and HR. He consults individuals and companies worldwide (in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian and Russian) on how to avoid costly misunderstandings and handle conflicts with employees and clients.