Relationships are the building blocks of knowledge

"Only a human being can nurture relationships. It has to be done with flair and transparency, and it can’t be done from a script. The memories and connections and experiences of the person in the center of this culture are difficult to scale and hard to replace".

- Seth Goden

Relationships are valuable. We need relationships to create and innovate. Our human connections set the stage for our learning and self-development. Without relationships we would not have access to the vast reservoir of knowledge residing in the minds of our colleagues and co-workers.

Cultivating and preserving relationships is a critical driver in enhancing our ability to get work done.

Knowing who we can seek out to deepen our understanding of a topic is valuable. When we have a connection with that person we are better able to have candid conversations often leading to an increased sharing of knowledge.When you consider that 80% of organizational knowledge resides in the minds of people as tacit insight, it is easy to see how nurturing relationships is key to tapping into this vast resource.

Just as relationships increase the flow of insight, friction and misunderstanding can decrease the flow. Working through this though challenging is worth the effort. With improved relationships comes improved satisfaction and performance.
A few additional thoughts:

• Play the connector. Seek to introduce people. Keep an eye out for potential partnerships that would benefit the organization.
• Connect knowledge resources to experts. When sharing  knowledge resources be sure to attribute the work to the experts that helped produce them. Ensure people know who and where within the organization expertise resides. 
• Play host. Create events for people to meet and share ideas face to face.