What Does Institutional Knowledge Mean to You?

In the facility management industry, the term institutional knowledge is used by everyone, along with how to capture it, where to share it, who needs it, and where should it reside. But the biggest question is what exactly is institutional knowledge? How does it differ from plain old knowledge or building knowledge or facility knowledge or workplace knowledge? Also, what happens when facility wisdom disappears? We asked dozens of folks to voice their opinions about institutional knowledge and here’s what a few had to say:

Dean Stanberry, IFMA

Dean believes that institutional knowledge is an organization's codified memory: the repeatable know-how, decisions, and lessons that have been documented, curated, and maintained so anyone can find them, use them, and audit them. It spans explicit content (SOPs, policies, job plans), the context that gives those artifacts meaning, and a management routine that keeps them current.

“Think of the enterprise as a library. Institutional knowledge is the cataloged, shelved collection with a librarian and checkout rules,” Dean said. “Tribal knowledge is the stack of sticky notes under a supervisor's keyboard and the tips shared around the break room table. Both are useful; only one is dependable at scale.”

“Many say "institutional knowledge" when they mean "tribal knowledge," Dean added. “A simple test: If it disappears when a single expert goes on vacation, it was never institutional. If an auditor can locate it, see the latest version, and match records that prove it's followed, it qualifies.”

Dean explained that campfire stories start excellence; the library sustains it. Institutional knowledge is the library. Tribal knowledge is the campfire. Successful FM programs use both, then document, govern, and verify.

Tee McCluster, Head of National Corporate Facilities, KFC U.S.

When Tee McCluster talks about institutional knowledge in facilities management, he sees it as the heartbeat of how a company truly operates day to day. He believes that it’s not just what’s written in a manual or a policy, it’s the lived experience, the lessons learned, and the know-how that keeps the doors open and the equipment running.

“It’s the memory of past projects and decisions, the understanding of why certain repairs worked, and others didn’t, and the relationships we’ve built with vendors and operators. It’s knowing how a specific restaurant’s roof unit behaves in the middle of summer, or which contractor you can count on to show up at 2 a.m. when the walk-in goes down,” he explained.

“This type of knowledge is powerful, but it’s also fragile. If we don’t capture it, we risk losing it when people move on. I believe part of our role as facility leaders is to document, share, and pass along this knowledge through playbooks, training, and strong systems so it becomes part of the organization, not just the individual.”

Tee summarized: At the end of the day, institutional knowledge is what allows us to solve problems faster, reduce costs, and keep our operations moving forward without missing a beat.

Arlyn Fontanilla, Facilities Coordinator, Matheny Medical and Educational Center

Arlyn stated that institutional knowledge in facilities management refers to the accumulated experience, insights, and practices that staff members develop over time about how a facility operates. It’s not just written policies and procedures—it’s also the unspoken knowledge that they carry with them.

“An example are our mechanics who have been in the facility department for decades,” she said. “They know the building like the back of their hands, and they’re excited about passing on what they know to me. “I like to go with them whenever they go fix something because that’s when I get to see firsthand how they are doing it, especially because we have older equipment in our facility.”

Gretchen Martin, Property Manager, CBRE

For Gretchen Martin, institutional knowledge is all of the unwritten items or ideas that an organization or employees possess regarding their specific operation or building. For example, in her current role, their chief engineer has worked here for over 20 years. His two sons now work here, and his father was the chief engineer. The amount of unwritten knowledge that three generations of building engineers have is invaluable operationally.

“As much as we like to think that our equipment operates like the manual says or our building itself behaves the way it’s supposed to, doesn’t mean it actually does,” she said. “The vast knowledge they have is crucial, especially in emergency situations. Even when it’s not an emergency, we know we can ask any of them for historical information or operational guidance. It’s something that is really important in succession planning and staffing changes as you don’t want to lose that information over time. It’s like the X factor of operations because you can’t quantify or put a price tag on it.”

Part of institutional knowledge is sharing your experience with younger team members, a topic discussed in an interview with Leo Gehring in the blog: Kicking Back in Retirement with Cars and Cruises.

ISO management standards, like ISO 9001 for quality and ISO 41001 for facilities management, focus on disciplined processes and evidence-based practices. Institutional knowledge—organized, documented, and accessible—is key to making this real, according to Dean. “Defined workflows and responsibilities ensure processes are controlled; records, logs, and training provide traceable proof of actions; leaders and mentors turn tacit knowledge into shared practice; lessons learned feed continual improvement; and customer requirements are captured, standardized, and measured. While tribal knowledge inspires work, institutional knowledge allows an organization to perform consistently and prove it,” he said.

More about Dean’s career can be learned in the blog: Meet The Dean of Technology & Facility Management.

Probably Not the Last Words on Institutional Knowledge

Institutional knowledge in facilities management is the organized, documented, and accessible memory of an organization—combining policies, procedures, and lived experience to ensure operations run smoothly and knowledge isn’t lost when staff changes.

“Facilities teams are the lifeblood of any organization. If the building isn't functioning properly, the organization is out of business,” said David Trask, National Director, ARC Facilities. “That is why it is so important to start capturing that knowledge before it walks out that door.”

Leaders like Dean Stanberry and Tee McCluster emphasize that while tribal knowledge sparks problem-solving, institutional knowledge sustains it, enabling faster decisions, cost savings, and operational continuity.