The Knowledge worker in Organizations.
Knowledge
Worker
Most employees
nowadays are required to use knowledge at work. They work with brains more than
with their muscles. It is not easy to measure the output or to supervise the
input of knowledge work. The application of knowledge is cannot be seen,
measured or controlled by anybody, other than the person using it. Knowledge
workers enjoy considerable autonomy in how much their knowledge and their
skills they use at work.
“Knowledge workers as high-level workers who apply theoretical
and analytical knowledge, acquired through
formal training, to develop products and services. He noted that knowledge
workers would be the most valuable assets of a 21st-century
organization because of their high level of productivity and creativity” (Drucker,P;,1959- The land mark of tomorrow)
Knowledge is expanding continually and fast. Knowledge workers of today perhaps know more than the knowledge workers of yesterday. There is an increasing specialization and simultaneously, knowledge is becoming multidisciplinary. There is an increasing awareness that because of the complexity of phenomena, events cannot be explained by simple liner relationships. Several factors matters on any given situation at any given time, causing events to happen. This is a system concept. Ability to grasp the realities in these complex system is necessary to make one`s work more appropriate and efficient.
Core Competencies of
Knowledge Workers
- Thinking Skills – have a vision about how can be
better.
- Continuous learning – learning in tune with changing
conditions.
- Teamwork - corporate with everyone while work.
- Creativity – finding new ways to advance the organization.
Figure 02 - Challenges for Knowledge workers (source-Researchgate.com)
According to Peter Drucker
(1966) it defines six factors for knowledge worker productivity
- “Knowledge worker productivity demands that the Managers ask the question,
"What is the task?"
- It is said that the Organizations are responsible for the productivity on the individual knowledge of workers but Knowledge workers manage it themselves.
- Continuity of innovation has to be a part of the learning, the tasks and
the responsibilities of the knowledge workers.
- Knowledge workers tend to continue learning on the part of the job role, but equally continuous teaching on the part of the knowledge
worker.
- Productivity of the knowledge worker is not at least and not
primarily a matter of the quantity of output. Quality is at least as
important.
- Finally, knowledge worker productivity requires that the knowledge worker is both seen and treated as an "asset" rather than a "cost." ”
Conclusion
The resources available in Knowledge Workers are their knowledge
along with their skills, their insights and their creativity which eventually
become the resources available in the organization for planning and innovation
or adaption. The knowledge workers always spend time on searching for new information
and gather them. As today’s world run in an information era, the necessity of
knowledge workers increases. There for
knowledge workers are an asset to the organizations which benefit in many ways when
comes to achieving goals and objectives within the globalized business world.
References
Armstrong,M;,(2014), A Handbook of Human Resource
Management Practice 10th edition.
The Importance of Knowledge Workers published on 18
November 2019, available at https://www.telappliant.com [online]
Reinhardt,W, Schmidt,B, Sloep,P, Drachsler, H;,(2011). "Knowledge Worker Roles and Actions – Results of Two Empirical
Studies" available at https://scholar.google.com
Great article Ganagani . Yes knowledge employees are very valuable asset to any organization. And also there is a concept call “war for talent “ which defines the competition HR faces with limited knowledgeable employees and many vacant positions. There is a huge demand for knowledge employees in the job market. So retaining them is also very challenging to Organisation
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Tharindu.
DeleteGood article with theoretical part.
ReplyDeleteAgreed with your conclusion.Knowledge workers are critical to the success of any organization. Their particular skills and knowledge are especially useful, as knowledge workers are frequently the ones who drive workplace innovation. Employers, on the other hand, must have a well-defined strategy for enabling their knowledge workers to succeed and get the most from their knowledge. Thanks for sharing..
Thank you for the comment Umesh.
DeleteNice article Gangani. Knowledge worker has a simple definition. A knowledge worker is someone “whose job requires them to think for a living.” Knowledge workers would be expected to innovate frequently, regularly coming up with new and improved ways of doing things.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing.
Thank you for the comment Prami.
DeleteKnowledge workers are often the core of your organization. It can be their ideas, experiences, interpretations, and judgments that keep your business – and your economy and society – moving forward. They invent new products, develop new strategies, lead negotiations, and help keep you ahead of your competitors. Agreed Gangani
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Oshadha.
DeleteGreat Gangani, adding to your article - knowledge worker is a someone who adds value by processing existing information to form new information that would be used to define and solve problems. Examples of knowledge workers include lawyers, doctors, diplomats, law-makers, software developers, managers and bankers. We can probably say that knowledge workers use their intellect to convert their ideas into products, services, or processes.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback Nandun.
DeleteAccording to the Peter Drucker the knowledge worker is a special type of employee who owns knowledge himself, rather than the organization, they add value to the organization because of what they know. A great portion of that knowledge could come from informal sources of education, like experience in a very specialized area, organizational knowledge and access to external knowledge. Thankyou for sharing. Very interesting Gangani.
ReplyDeleteGood one gangani, Knowledgeable employees are always valuable resource for any organizations .Through it employers can increase the productivity of their companies.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Bhashitha.
DeleteDifferent topic Gangani, Knowledge workers are differentiated from other workers by their ability to solve complex problems or to develop new products or services in their fields of expertise.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Sunith.
DeleteUnique and informative topic. Thank you Gangani,
ReplyDeleteSince knowledge employees are expected to generate outcomes that are distinct from those produced by conventional workers, organizations should manage and evaluate them differently as well. As defined by Thomas Davenport, knowledge workers have a high level of skill, education, or experience, and their main function is to create, distribute, or apply knowledge (Mind Tools, 2021).
Thank you for the comment Fayaz.
DeleteKnowledge workers are a unique type of asset because their value grows over time, especially when improvements, developments are made. As a result, company policies and reward systems must reinforce to support this learning, in conjunction with professional enrichment programs. Things like skills, creativity, and teamwork, for example, are characteristics that you see in a knowledge workforce. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Nishantha.
DeleteKnowledge work is complex and requires specific skills, abilities, and knowledge of both the actual and theoretical. In addition, they must be able to learn and improve their skills, as well as interact well with others. As you mentioned in your article, Peter Drucker wrote extensively on the subject of the knowledge worker. For example, he predicted that the knowledge worker would replace the blue-collar worker in the future. He described how automation transformed manufacturing and agricultural jobs into knowledge-based jobs. Drucker argued that as the service sector grew and diversified, so did the number of knowledge workers. He explained how a growing economy enabled the growth of new knowledge professions by focusing on science and technology.
ReplyDeleteKnowledged workforce is the core of an organization which drives the business, the economy and society moving forward. When an organization builds an infrastructure that has the capacity to bring in new knowledge workers and provide them with the tools they need while implement proper knowledge strategy this will lead to a productive and an efficient workforce and keep ahead of the competitors. The author has well explained. Worth to read
ReplyDeleteKnowledge workers are often the core of your organization. It can be their ideas, experiences, interpretations, and judgments that keep your business – and your economy and society – moving forward. They invent new products, develop new strategies, lead negotiations, and help keep you ahead of your competitors.
ReplyDelete