It is understood within Sellafield Ltd that approximately 80% of the knowledge it needs is held by its supply chain. Therefore, the company organise regular supplier’s fora to disseminate the latest news from the company. Suppliers benefit from being up-to-date with developments such as site procurement plans, safety standards and Britain's Energy Coast initiative. The desire to develop a two-way communication channel provided an opportunity for a new type of event.
The company’s Suppliers' Ombudsman, felt that this has tended to be mainly a one-way communication process, with suppliers voices not necessarily heard or given prominence on the agenda. What was needed, he believed, was an event that allowed for two-way communications between the company and suppliers and between suppliers themselves. From that belief, the first ever Sellafield Knowledge Market was launched.
Knowledge Market
The Market was designed to make new connections and share knowledge and skills with existing and potential suppliers. The day began with a fun ‘speed dating’ exercise. Individuals from the respective businesses were then invited to write down their top 3 ‘needs’ and ‘offers’ on charts. There were 98 booths created from the 170 delegates. People were then invited to scan the market for needs and offers that were of interest to them, whilst promoting their own market booths and sharing their knowledge.
Delegates then identified the knowledge themes they wanted to discuss in more depth. This meant that the content of the day was decided by participants, not the organisers.
The day ended with groups preparing detailed ‘knowledge maps’ within their chosen themes. The maps illustrated where answers to problems were found, where successful matches between needs and offers were made and also where knowledge gaps exist.
Useful
Ben Wilson was one of several suppliers who commented that “I found the day extremely useful and made lots of contacts with potential partners and customers. I came away with over 13 strong contacts, which we can support or work with."
Success
Speaking after the event, the Ombudsman stated that: “The success of this event demonstrates that we have a knowledgeable supply chain that complements the experienced Sellafield workforce. It also demonstrates that the Sellafield Visitor Centre is a good place for sharing ideas and making connections - helping Sellafield Ltd deliver the NDA’s programme, as well as developing new business opportunities for West Cumbria. It also generated an invitation to facilitate another knowledge market at the annual conference of the British Nuclear Engineering Society. Sellafield’s internal KM team now feels that they have sufficient competence to include this intervention into their expanding knowledge management toolkit.
Help to connect
Knowledge markets are one method for helping people make connections. By focusing on knowledge needs and offers, the event helped to promote the fact that knowledge is a key asset for the nuclear industry and that Sellafield can develop innovative ways of working with its supply chain.