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Knowledge workers

Knowledge workers. Knowledge worker – definition. The term [knowledge worker] was coined by Peter Drucker in 1969 to describe someone who adds value in the workplace by processing existing information to create new information which can be used to define and solve problems.

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Knowledge workers

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  1. Knowledge workers

  2. Knowledge worker – definition • The term [knowledge worker] was coined by Peter Drucker in 1969 to describe someone who adds value in the workplace by processing existing information to create new information which can be used to define and solve problems.

  3. Knowledge Worker? • Transforms corporate and personal experiences into knowledge through capturing, assessing, applying, sharing, and disseminating it within the organization to solve specific problems or to create value Transformation process IT Tools Values KNOWLEDGE WORKER Organizational Culture Personal and corporate experience

  4. Essential attributes of knowledge workers • POSSESSING FACTUAL AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE • FINDING AND ACCESSING INFORMATION. • To know which sources provide the information they need and how to use these sources . • ABILITY TO APPLY INFORMATION. • The non-repetitive nature of knowledge workers' jobs makes crucial the ability to apply information to new situations. • COMMUNICATION SKILLS. • Successful knowledge workers present clearly, in spoken and written word, both factual and theoretical information. • MOTIVATION. • These individuals must maintain a desire to apply their talents toward incorporating new information and new technologies into their work. • INTELLECTUAL CAPABILITIES. • Knowledge workers must have the intellectual capabilities regarding understanding, recall, processing and application of specialized information.

  5. Core Competencies • Thinking skills— having a vision how the product or the company can be better • Continuous learning— unlearning and relearning in tune with fast-changing conditions • Innovative teams and teamwork— via collaboration, cooperation, and coordination • Creativity— ”dreaming” new ways to advance the firm

  6. Core Competencies (cont’d) • Risk taking and potential success— making joint decisions with calculated risk • Decision action taking— be willing to embrace professional discipline, patience, and determination • Culture of responsibility toward knowledge— loyalty and commitment to one’s manager or leader

  7. Traditional vs. Smart Managers

  8. Factors Affecting Knowledge Worker’s Productivity • Time constraint • Knowledge workers performing tasks that the firm did not hire them to do • Work schedule mismatch • De-”motivation”

  9. Responsibilities of Smart Managers • Managing knowledge workers • Searching out, creating, sharing, and using knowledge regularly • Maintaining work motivation among knowledge workers • Hiring or recruiting bright, knowledge-seeking individuals • Managing collaboration, coordination, and concurrent activities among knowledge workers

  10. Typology of knowledge worker roles • Controller - People who monitor the organizational performance based on raw information. • Helper - People who transfers information to teach others, once they passed a problem. • Learner - People use information and practices to improve personal skills and competence. • Linker - People who associate and mash up information from different sources to generate new information. • Networker - People who create personal or project related connections with people involved in the same kind of work, to share information and support each other.

  11. Typology of knowledge worker roles • Organizer - People who are involved in personal or organizational planning of activities, e.g. to-do lists and scheduling. • Retriever - People who search and collect information on a given topic. • Sharer - People who disseminate information in a community. • Solver - People who find or provide a way to deal with a problem. • Tracker - People who monitor and react on personal and organizational actions that may become problems.

  12. IBM Journal Study – types of Knowledge workers • Business User • Goals: aligned with the business goals • Focus: getting the job done • IT: computers are simply a means to an end; there is little business value to learning a new tool or technology • Skills: business expert who uses computers (e.g., browses the Web) but has no development skills, not even HTML, and has no desire to develop these skills • Power User • Goals: mix of business and technical goals • Focus: sometimes known as the local IT expert (guru); provides help to others in installing or upgrading of software and some troubleshooting; usually the first person called upon for help before approaching the IT department • IT: usually the early adopter in their group; uses computers to get the job done and has interests in new tools and technologies • Skills: business expert who, although not a developer, understands technology and is willing to learn to use a new tool if the benefits justify the effort

  13. Knowledge Worker • Works with ideas and manages teams. • Wants to be able to develop and improve processes and forms; encourage collaboration; create workspace environments. • Needs to create, consume, transform and analyze data. • Works in an unstructured, free-form way, maybe starting with a set of ideas that are collaborated on and built into a new document/report/form/business process. • Examples of this type of worker include middle/senior managers, consultants, and marketing executives.

  14. The Structured Task Worker • Unlike the knowledge worker, they tend to work only with data and information, not ideas. • Create and consume, but don't transform or manage information. • Needs to be able to find facts quickly; create documents; edit, write and process information. • According to some reports, this category of information worker makes up 80 percent of the user base in most organizations. • Examples of this type of user include bank clerk, call centre operator, nurse and people in supervisor roles: shop manager, bank manager, nursing supervisor.

  15. The Data Entry Worker • Create and consume, but don't transform or manage information. • Wants easy access to information; standardized process and forms; list management. • Doesn't tend to do free-form document creation. • This type of user typically works in some kind of administrative, secretarial or receptionist role.

  16. Classification based on information and idea • Specialty knowledge workers possess a significant amount of knowledge related to a specific company's products or services. • These individuals can be thought of as housing vital corporate assets in their heads. • Portable knowledge workers possess information of wide and immediate utility. They are familiar with knowledge that is in demand by a variety of organizations. • Example - Software programmers, librarians, and persons with business degrees. • Creation of knowledge workers focuses the majority of their efforts on innovative behaviors, such as product design and development. • Examples of creation of knowledge workers include scientists and information systems designers.

  17. Knowledge worker vs. manual worker • Management guru Peter Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker." In his 1969 book, The Age of Discontinuity. • Drucker differentiates knowledge workers from manual workers and insists that new industries will employ mostly knowledge workers. • Fast-forward 42 years. The terms "knowledge worker" and "manual worker" are no longer mutually exclusive. • People loading product onto rail cars certainly work with their hands, but they may also contribute knowledge to the business.

  18. Knowledge worker vs. manual worker • Command-and-control cultures segment their workforces into knowledge workers and everybody else. • In a collaborative organization, on the other hand, all workers' knowledge counts, regardless of their roles. Every team member contributes, shares knowledge, and participates in making decisions and information flows in different direction. • In reality, everybody today qualifies as a knowledge worker. Every worker has knowledge and information that the organization can tap.

  19. Knowledge worker vs. manual worker • The most important difference between a manual worker and a knowledge worker is that the former’s results are constrained by physical limitations (their physique or their tools). • But a knowledge worker has few such constraints: The result of their work has no pre-defined upper limits.

  20. Responsibilities of the CKO(Chief Knowledge Officer) • Maximize returns on investment in knowledge — people, processes, and technology • Share best practices and reinforce benefits of knowledge sharing among employees • Promote company innovations and commercialization of new ideas • Minimize knowledge loss at all levels of the business

  21. Role of the CKO (In Summary) • Agent of change • Investigator • Linking pin • Listener • Politician

  22. Key CKO Attributes • Teaching and selling • Communicating — speaking the language of the user, mediate, and working with management at all levels • Understanding— e.g., identifying problem areas and determining their impact

  23. CKO’s Success Factors • Focus less on problems and more on successes and opportunities • Adopt an attitude that views challenges as opportunities • Work on creating tomorrow’s business instead of focusing on yesterday’s problems

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