The Procedures for Documenting Organizational Knowledge and Experiences: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background The present study was motivated by issues with earlier studies on documenting knowledge and experiences. This scoping review investigates and maps the procedures for documenting organizational knowledge and experiences. Methods Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, a scoping review was conducted. Data were obtained by searching PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ProQuest, Embase, and Emerald Insight databases and Persian databases, such as Magiran, Noormags, and Ensani. The selected terms were searched using the Boolean AND/OR operators, phrases, parentheses, and truncations in the title, abstract, keywords, and text word fields. The inclusion criteria were resources relevant to the research question, studies in English and Persian, original research articles, and resources published between 2011 and 2022. Finally, 8 related papers were selected as the research population after screening records. Results The review of the selected studies indicates that there have been different steps for documenting knowledge and experiences according to the subject's scope and the goals of the studies. The included articles revealed numerous steps for documentation—including planning, acquisition, registration, evaluation, submission, maintenance, publication, application, payment, and compensation. Conclusion Although a systematic mechanism for documenting knowledge and experience is essential, many processes and phases are offered for documentation. Therefore, a complete review that synthesizes and integrates past study findings must still be included. Several shortcomings in past research on documenting knowledge and expertise prompted the present study. The results of the present study can be of great use to managers and employees of various organizations in topics such as the creation of standards for documenting knowledge and experiences, organizational-structural planning in this field, and training on different documentation methods.