Imagine the recognition that comes with spearheading an initiative that transforms knowledge into action across your entire organisation. This is the reality that many teams experienced in 2024 – but it’s showing little sign of slowing down.
Whether you’re working in Research Operations, insight generating functions like UX Research, Market Insights, Data Science, or any team that relies on data to make better decisions – the knowledge management opportunities that lay ahead are undeniable.
With the knowledge management industry projected to grow nearly fivefold in the next decade, the future looks exceptionally promising for organisations that adopt innovative technologies and frameworks to unlock the full value of their data.
At its core, knowledge management is the practice of capturing, organising, and sharing an organisation's collective knowledge to ensure that the right information reaches the right people at the right time. It empowers teams to make informed decisions, uncover new opportunities, and adapt to change with clarity and confidence.
So as 2024 comes to a close, we delve into the key trends that shaped knowledge management in 2024, and take a look at what to expect in 2025 and beyond.
Let’s dive in…
At the technological heart of knowledge management, is the knowledge repository.
But until now, building and maintaining knowledge repositories has been time consuming and costly. According to a recent study by Nielsen & Norman, “it can take years for a repository to be fully established and gain traction. People need to contribute enough research to the repository for it to become useful — which takes time.”
But alongside the considerable effort to build a repository, there are also clear challenges in maintaining it. One respondent noted that “Even if a consorted effort is made to build a repository, if the additional work required to contribute to the repository is deemed too high or time consuming - it won’t happen”.
It’s clear that something needed to change – spending years building knowledge repositories in SharePoint or Confluence, and countless hours maintaining them is not a good use of anyone’s time - especially not highly trained and experienced researchers.
The great news is that advancements in AI throughout 2024 have significantly transformed dedicated knowledge management tools, making it easier than ever to build and maintain repositories:
- Automatically summarising research documents – regardless of their length or format
- Suggesting tags and building global taxonomies for you – based on your data
- Auto-tagging documents and insights
- Locating and extracting key insights to connect with others on common topics
- Identifying patterns, gaps, and opportunities across entire knowledge bases
With these capabilities, teams using AI-driven repositories have virtually eliminated the manual effort traditionally required to build and maintain them. What once took months (if not years) can now be achieved in days.
AI has revolutionised the management of repositories by taking on the heavy lifting faster, smarter, and more efficiently than ever before. It’s like having a tireless librarian who not only organises your knowledge but ensures it stays fresh and actionable. This allows researchers to shift their focus to higher-value tasks that require a more human touch.
In 2025, expect to see even the most AI-resistant teams diving in. Why? Because AI is no longer an option. AI isn’t just a trend; it’s becoming the backbone of efficient knowledge management systems.
The most successful repository launches we’ve seen this year share one common thread: focus.
Teams have launched small, focused repositories in just days, quickly gaining traction, securing leadership buy-in, and building significant momentum. One research leader shared their secret:
“We didn’t wait for approval by committee. We showed the impact in a critical area, and all of a sudden everyone wanted in.”
So instead of trying to “boil the ocean” by addressing every knowledge gap from day one, teams are gaining traction by first homing in on specific, shared goals.
“Progress over perfection” is the mantra for 2025. Here’s some words of wisdom from teams who successfully built and launched org-wide knowledge repositories in 2024:
If you’re building or revamping a repository in 2025, start small. Prove the value, then scale. With the significant costs of inaction, it’s about doing, not waiting.
A Nielsen & Norman Group survey found that less than half of research repositories in 2024 had ‘good’ adoption:
The key reason for low adoption? Simplicity.
Until recently, many teams were enamoured with “features, features, features.” They wanted all-in-one tools that could analyse data, support with recruitment, integrate seamlessly, and be self-servable for every stakeholder. The result? Overcomplicated systems that never gained wider traction.
In 2024, a shift started occurring. Teams began to prioritise adoption – choosing tools that were easy to use, quick to implement, and accessible to everyone without formal training.
As one Research and Design Leader told us, “By cutting all the bells and whistles we finally saw people wider than our research team actually using our repository.”
It’s not difficult to see why:
For 2025, simplicity will be the cornerstone of effective knowledge management - regardless of the tools and frameworks you’re using. Adopt technologies that empower all teams, without adding unnecessary complexity.
Remember, no matter how good the data is: a repository only works if people actually use it.
Knowledge silos are crumbling, driven by increasing demand for cross-departmental collaboration and the need to keep pace with rapid innovation.
Organisations are realising that isolated knowledge impedes agility and competitiveness, increasingly prompting leadership teams to prioritise building more connected and transparent knowledge ecosystems.
In 2024, we saw more leadership teams prioritise breaking down knowledge silos than ever before – setting OKRs that focus on shared knowledge across departments. This trend will only continue to grow in 2025.
AI plays a pivotal role here. It can process and triangulate information from thousands of documents – across multiple departments – in seconds, providing insights that were previously unattainable. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about competitive advantage.
When insights from UX, CX, product analytics, market research, and competitive intelligence are connected, organisations unlock a “Universal Research” approach — a holistic view that shapes game changing strategies and drives continuous innovation.
One of our customers described this shift perfectly: “For the first time, our insights feel like a living, breathing organism - working together with other insights from other teams to reveal patterns and opportunities we never knew existed!”.
Regardless of the team or discipline you work in, it’s never been easier to share and triangulate knowledge – why not be the team or individual to spearhead such an initiative in your organisation?
Throughout 2024, we’ve seen a growing emphasis on leveraging repository usage metrics to measure – and grow – the effectiveness of knowledge repositories.
Gone are the days when it was enough to have a repository but remain in the dark about how it gets used. This year, teams have been demanding answers and actionable insights into how their repositories are being used, how they’re driving value, and where there are gaps.
Imagine being able to regularly share automated statistics like:
- Your most-viewed insights - and which are driving the most action
- Emerging research trends within your organisation
- Your most active contributors and viewers of your repository
- The most frequently asked questions and search terms
These metrics provide clarity and confidence for research teams, helping them stay in the loop about what insights are resonating and where they need to focus next.
For example, a Research Director recently shared with us a powerful story:
“We realised that people were using the AI features in our repository to ask lots of questions around ‘payment flows,’ but we had very few insights to support this. Through monitoring the questions being asked, we were able to identify the gap - and proactively address it.”
Tracking this data doesn’t just help teams focus their research efforts on high-impact topics that are in demand – it also ensures that the data remains relevant, keeps internal audiences engaged, and boosts adoption.
In 2025, expect this trend to accelerate, with more teams adopting automated feedback mechanisms to refine their repositories, fill emerging research gaps, and maintain momentum and impact.
Even the most robust repository will have limited impact if the insights it holds fail to reach the consciousness of your stakeholders. Alongside simplifying access and adoption, 2025 will be about deeply integrating repositories into everyday workflows to ensure more insights are surfaced across the organisation.
The coming year will focus heavily on proactive distribution — making insights impossible to ignore by even the most difficult to reach stakeholders. As much as we design our repositories to be intuitive and engaging, some stakeholders simply won’t take the time to self-serve the insights they need. Should that mean those insights remain unseen? Absolutely not.
Tools like Slack and Teams are emerging as critical distribution channels. Imagine asking a chatbot in Slack, “Do we have any insights on [X]?” and instantly receiving a comprehensive, evidence-based answer — no more pulling researchers away from high-value work for routine queries.
At Dualo, we’re already testing AI-powered chatbot assistants to enable this functionality. One of our beta testers recently shared their experience: “We had a stakeholder ask about our insights on onboarding flows. Not only did they get an immediate answer, but it sparked a broader conversation about how we could adapt our onboarding strategy to address key challenges. That single moment saved hours of searching and back-and-forth.”
But chatbots are just the beginning. In 2025, we’ll see a shift toward personalised notifications. Stakeholders will receive new insights directly, tailored to their specific areas of interest, no matter where they are in the organisation. Whether through email, chat tools, or even text messages, the goal is to meet stakeholders where they are and ensure they stay informed.
The future of knowledge management will no longer require stakeholders to seek out insights. Instead, insights will find them – effortlessly and in real-time.
Knowledge management is evolving at an unprecedented pace. To put it into perspective, with the latest technological advancements and the shift to more distributed workforces, the global knowledge management market is projected to grow nearly fivefold over the next decade – from just over $770 billion today, to an astounding $3.5 trillion in 2034.
Insight-gathering teams are uniquely positioned to harness this momentum and spearhead this transformational shift. Organisations that prioritise investing in and advancing knowledge management practices in 2025 are poised to unlock transformative growth, gain a decisive competitive edge, and drive meaningful change within their industries.
With multiple forces at play – from AI-driven repositories and enhanced cross-functional collaboration to personalised knowledge distribution – this field is becoming one of the fastest-growing and most impactful industries. The trends and predictions we’ve discussed today will pave the way for more truly insight-driven organisations and fuel innovation across every sector.
At Dualo, we’re excited to see these trends come to life and to continue partnering with organisations to unlock the full potential of their knowledge. As one of our longest standing customers so aptly put it, “The future of knowledge management isn’t about managing knowledge — it’s about empowering people to act on it.”
So, ask yourself: What kind of team do you want to be in 2025? One that works in isolation, or one that takes the lead in breaking down knowledge silos and driving insight-led growth?
Here’s to a transformative and impactful 2025!
Are you looking to take knowledge management to the next level and capitalise on the emerging trends discussed in this article within your organisation? We might be able to help – request a call here, and a friendly member of our team will be touch.
I’m a design, UX & strategy lead with a passion for storytelling. Proud member of Dualo’s founding product trio. Always seeking new inspiration.
Join our growing community and be the first to see fresh content.
.svg)
Repo Ops ideas worth stealing
Interviews with leaders
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
