INSIGHT K&IM Matters
Vampire knowledge: The undead information haunting your organisation
D
O you have outdated, obsolete or incorrect information and knowledge in your systems, that just seems impossible to kill off? After Halloween, it seems fitting to shine a light on the insidious problem of vampire knowledge. Like its folkloric namesake, vampire knowledge emerges from the shadows, draining productivity and sowing confusion throughout the organisation.
The Immortality Problem
Why does outdated knowledge persist with such tenacity? Often, it persists simply because no one has definitively killed it yet, because the organisation lacks clear processes for declaring content obsolete and systematically removing it. Knowledge Managers are excellent at creating and storing knowledge, but far less disciplined about its retirement. This reluctance stems partly from uncertainty and fear—what if someone still needs this or what if we’re wrong about its obsolescence?
Compounding this challenge is the fact that vampire knowledge rarely exists in a single location. Kill it in your document management system, and it resurfaces in emails. Remove it from the intranet, and it persists in PowerPoint decks scattered across shared drives, each copy providing a potential resurrection point.
In some organisations, provenance can also grant unearned immortality, when information and knowledge created by senior leaders or respected subject matter experts acquires a protective aura such that challenging or removing it feels heretical, even when circumstances have clearly changed.
Identifying the Vampires
Recognition is the first step toward eradication and we can learn to spot the telltale signs.
Watch for procedures that reference defunct systems or departed employees, and the phrase “that’s how we’ve always done it” should trigger immediate investigation. Often, these traditional practices no longer serve their original purpose, yet they persist through organisational inertia, because no one has questioned its continued existence. We do not believe that these monsters live among us.
Policies that contradict current practice represent a particularly dangerous category. These vampires are particularly problematic because they create legal and compliance risks. When the official policy manual mandates one approach while the organisation has evolved to use another, you’ve created confusion that can expose the organisation to liability. Zombie metrics deserve a special mention. How many reports continue to be generated, circulated, and stored in your organisation despite no longer informing any decisions? They
Winter 2025 Slaying the Vampires
Effective vampire elimination requires both courage and a systematic approach. Knowledge managers need the right tools and organisational support to drive stakes through the heart of outdated content.
Regular knowledge audits with defined sunset dates provide the foundation for vampire control. Rather than waiting for content to become obviously obsolete, establish review cycles tied to the nature of the knowledge artefact.
Version control and clear deprecation labelling serve as crucial warning systems. When content cannot be immediately removed – perhaps because some legacy users still require it – prominent warnings prevent new victims. “Obsolete”, “archived”, or “for reference only” labels function like garlic, warning people away from dangerous knowledge.
Cultural change may be the most important stake of all. Organisations must create psychological safety for challenging established information. When questioning outdated knowledge is seen as constructive rather than insubordinate, you’ve created an immune system against vampires.
Designated knowledge stewards or champions with clear authority to retire content eliminate the paralysis of distributed responsibility. Stewards must have both the expertise to judge content validity and the organisational authority to act on those judgments.
Prevention: Stopping New Vampires from Rising Rather than constantly hunting vampires, our goal is eradication and prevention, so we must build expiration dates into knowledge from its inception, indicating their expected lifespan and review schedule. This transforms knowledge management from reactive cleanup to proactive lifecycle management. Establish single sources of truth rather than allowing scattered copies to proliferate.
Finally, invert the effort equation. Make it easier to update or remove content than to create new parallel versions. When the path of least resistance leads to maintaining existing knowledge rather than creating competing alternatives, you’ve structured your system to naturally resist vampire formation. As knowledge managers, we must be vigilant vampire hunters, protecting our organisations from the productivity drain of undead knowledge. This Halloween season, perhaps it’s time to conduct your own vampire audit. Your organisation’s health may depend on it.
What monstrous knowledge problems have you faced and fought? I’d love to hear from you. IP
l email me at
helenerussell@theknowledgebusiness.co.uk INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 19
Hélène Russell is a KM consultant at TheKnowledgeBusiness and Chair of the K&IM SIG.
consume resources and attention, and provide zero value: perfect examples of vampire knowledge feeding off organisational energy.
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