...7.1 Knowledge workers Course: managing and developing organizational capabilities Module Code: BS3S04 Lecturer: Dr Isabel Martins Student number: Liang Yue (09067353) Wang Yue (09067256) Liu Dan (09066837) Song Jixiang (09066934) Shi Yuexizi (09067213) Word:1583 The importance of knowledge worker Before we discuss this issue, we should comprehend a concept-"knowledge worker". That is extremely significant to you to comprehend the whole article. Peter Drucker (1959), who was the first person come up with this term, explained that:"one who works primarily with information or one who develops and uses knowledge in the workplace." Jeremy Rifkin（1995）described this concept more specific, "creators, manipulators and purveyors of the stream of information that makes up the post-industrial, post- service, global economy. High-knowledge workers such as lawyers, doctors, scientists, teacher and clerics have been around for a long time. However the number of them has increased steady in the past 100 years. They are both knowledge workers—people who do much of their work with their hands (and to that extent are the successors to skilled workers), but whose pay is determined by the knowledge between their ears, acquired in formal education rather than through apprenticeship. From the above definition, we can have a rough understanding of knowledge worker...
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...that are considered skilled workers are carpenter, electrician, plumber, doctors, nurses, customer service representatives, software developer, police officer, military personnel (whether it is war-fighting function or indirectly supporting war-fighting function), truck drivers etc. The list goes on and on. Manpower Group conducts a talent shortage survey every year (Reference 1). These are jobs/positions that are hardest to fill. I have subjectively separated the skilled worker jobs and knowledge worker jobs and tallied the numbers up. Here is a summary of the number of skilled workers and number of knowledge workers from the ten hardest jobs to fill, year 2006 to 2013. 2006: Skilled Worker: 7 Knowledge Worker: 3 2007: Skilled Worker: 8 Knowledge Worker: 2 2008: Skilled Worker: 7 Knowledge Worker: 3 2009: Skilled Worker: 8 Knowledge Worker: 2 2010: Skilled Worker: 8 Knowledge Worker: 2 2011: Skilled Worker: 6 Knowledge Worker: 4 2012: Skilled Worker: 7 Knowledge Worker: 3 2013: Skilled Worker: 6 Knowledge Worker: 4 There seems to be a trend of decrease in the difficulty of filling skilled worker jobs. As you can see from the lists, skilled worker shortage still represents the majority of the top 10 lists. I think with the information technology dominating our everyday lives, we are often left with the impression that knowledge workers will eventually replace skilled workers. However, I believe skilled workers play vital roles in our society...
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...A Study of Alienation among Knowledge Workers Submission of Thesis Proposal Nisha Nair Doctoral candidate Organizational Behavior Area Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) India Email: nishan@iimahd.ernet.in Telephone +91-79-6632-6216 Mobile: +91-9327309000 Advisor Information Dr. Neharika Vohra Organizational Behavior Area Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) ‘The hidden conflict between the knowledge workers view of himself as a professional and the social reality in which he is the upgraded well paid successor to the skilled worker of yesterday, underlies the disenchantment of so many highly educated young people with the jobs available to them’ - (Drucker, 1969, p 259) Knowledge workers (KWs) are thought to be the engines of growth of the new economy (Yigitcanlar, Baum & Horton, 2007) and the key strategic and competitive resources of today’s organizations (O’Neill & Adya, 2007). Considerable attention has been directed to the analysis of knowledge work and knowledge intensive firms in recent years (Alvesson, 1995, 2001; Burton-Jones, 1999; Donnelly, 2006; Swan & Scarborough, 2001). Because of the emphasis on human capital in knowledge-intensive firms (Edvinsson & Malone, 1997), where tacit knowledge residing within workers is the chief asset of the organization, it has become imperative to retain KWs and ensure their continued commitment to the organization. Davenport et al. (2002) observe that companies cannot...
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...Aiming Higher: Motivating Knowledge Workers Background Among the top ornamental fish service providers in the world is Qian Hu.This Singapore-based company started as a piggery in the 1980s. However, due to government regulation against such business, founder Yap Tik Huay decided to convert it into a fish farm instead. Nevertheless, in 1989, the Great Singaporean Flood caused an unfavorable wipeout of Qian Hu’s fish supply. In spite of this, Qian Hu was able to recover from the loss. Today, the company boasts being one of the largest ornamental fish service providers in the country with services that include farming, importing, exporting, and distributing over 500 species of ornamental fish. Qian Hu exports to over 80 countries across the globe, representing a huge percentage of Singapore’s ornamental fish exports. It also has branches in Thailand, China, and Malaysia to cater to their customers overseas. Pursuing its vision of being a “one-stop shop” for their clientele, the company has also expanded its services into manufacturing and exporting aquarium accessories, feeds, and medications. Qian Hu credits its success to its Managing Director, Kenny Yap. He is a staunch believer in treating their employees like family, even joining them for coffee breaks at times. This initiative by Yap helped develop strong teamwork, camaraderie and commitment to the company. As such Qian Hu was able to secure its position in the industry, holding 32% of the market share in ornamental...
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...Discussion: Knowledge Workers Discuss the concept of knowledge workers in today’s workforce and why knowledge workers are critical to employee engagement and retention. Knowledge workers form the fastest growing part of the workforce in the world. They control workplace talents in today’s age of information, technology and change. Knowledge workers are the one who obtain, shape, define and apply information in order to perform integrative, complicated and uncertain work. They examine information and apply know-how in a variety of areas to solve problems, generate ideas, or create new products and services. Knowledge work is characterized by the use of information, unique work situations, creativity and freedom. They use different methods and techniques to solve problems and have the power to decide what work methods to use in order to complete their varying job tasks. Knowledge workers are critical to employee engagement and retention. The information society requires a highly skilled workforce. The traditional blue collar worker cannot easily acquire the knowledge and skills needed to become knowledge workers so this will create a shortage of these type of workers. When the blue collar worker can’t make the transition to knowledge work, society will face problems caused by both unemployment and understaffing. The shortage of knowledge workers make employers concerned with attracting and keeping these employees. In order to hire and retain knowledge workers, employers...
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...1. Define the term knowledge worker. “Who coined the term? Peter Drucker coined the term knowledge worker in the 60s and it means professionals who are relatively well educated and who create modify and synthesize knowledge as a fundamental part of their jobs. 2. Describe and contrast the economic, cultural, and technological changes occurring in the digital world. The digital world has changed everything, economically, culturally and technologically. The changes have been remarkable. For example, the most well paid people are knowledge workers. In addition, the technology has advance at an incredible pace. For example, the computers, the cloud in which you can save any info, outsourcing, etc. culturally beacause the world thinks different, the cultural barriers have changed and the world is becoming smaller. 3. List the 10 factors that led to globalization 3.0 * The fall of berlin wall * The release of the netscape web browser * Work flow software * Uploading * Outsourcing * Offshoring * Supply chaining * Insourcing * Informing * The steroids 4. Describe work flows software. How did this technology drive the flattening of the world Is the variety of software applications that allow for software-to-software interactions. (allowed different companies all over the world to communicate between them) 5. Compare outsourcing offshoring and offshore outsourcing. * Outsourcing is the moving of business processes...
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...Case 7: The knowledge worker strike Detonation Media, a software company based in Mountain View, California, is facing with a demonstration from the Software Engineers Guild (SEG) which comprises about half of Detonation 10,000 employees. The employees have been working e months without a contract. They’re well paid, however, they have to work over the clock, which made their career as short as a NFL’s running back. Furthermore, the gaming industry is also layoff in the gaming industry, which fueling rumors of potential cutbacks at Detonation. However, the demonstration is lightly attended, most of the programmer remains at their computer. Tetsui Wakatanabe, Detonator’s star developer, haven’t give much thought to the contract as he has been concentratingon his new hit game: Couch Ninjas 2. However, he would want the negotiation to end quickly as a strike would prevent his games from completion. Two months after the protest, Carol Lee, Detonation’s general cousel and lead negotiator received a call from Emilio Teti, Detonation’s CEO. Emilio wants to push on the negotiation while the layoff in GameCrack had just happen and therefore, remove the pay raised package from the negotiation clause from the original boosting pay and benefit by 5% annually. However, they are also negotiating on two point: SEG pay to be move to profit sharing rather than revenue sharing and SEG jurisdiction will be extend to internet from the original just on PC and consoles. Emilio wants to remove...
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...The Age of Social Transformation by Peter F. Drucker Critic Paper Basically, this article of Drucker describes the rise and transformation of “knowledge society”. The twentieth century has seen more common and radical social transformation than any other time in history, the labor and politics of the developed countries now are completely different in terms of processes, problems and structures from the past century. In his article, in the first part of it, it is explained that the work-force, society and politics has change qualitative and quantitatively. Changes occurred from the farmers and domestic servant. Before World War I, Farmers are the largest group compare to servants. Farmers and domestic servants were everywhere. After World War II, farmers are middle sized group but nowadays, farmers are only 5% of workforce and the servants are dead because of the rise of blue-collar worker. And from the rise to fall of blue-collar worker, the rise of knowledge worker occurred. In the part of The Emerging Knowledge Society, formal education enables work & social position, education will become center of the society but the knowledge in application is effective only if it is specialized. Knowledge society is the organization that performs. The Employee Society, traditional work for a “master” but nowadays, the “boss” is an employee as well. In the Social Sector, the traditional communities are family, village, and parish. And who takes care of social tasks? Not...
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...What It Means To Be a Knowledge Worker: Actions, Roles and Productivity Simon K. Caines University of Maryland University College Abstract This paper discusses the concept of the knowledge worker. It seeks to describe the evolution of the knowledge worker from the point at which the term itself was coined by Peter Drucker; who they are and the type of work in which they are engaged. The paper will address the value of knowledge workers to organization, challenges associated with measuring their productivity in the workplace and the future outlook for this class of employees. What this paper does not attempt to provide are answers to many of the vexing questions surrounding knowledge work and the people who perform it. The paper will draw from current and past literature on the subject. What It Means To Be a Knowledge Worker: Actions, Roles and Productivity The Knowledge Worker In 1959 renowned management writer and thinker Peter Drucker coined the term ‘knowledge worker’. Drucker recognized that 20th century American corporate society had begun an evolution from the manual laborers of the industrial economy to one where the bulk of workers used their heads more than their hands (Drucker, 1999). According to Drucker, knowledge workers are “…high level employees who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal education, to develop new products or services” (Drucker, 1994, p. 63). While the definition has evolved over the years by other...
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...top of their game in such cut-throat times? These are questions which have crossed almost every student’s mind and they crossed my mind too. In fact, they consumed me so that my life started revolving around resolving these questions. We start equipping ourselves with skills and knowledge we think will make us viable employees but just having a particular skill is not the end. It is a means to the end, as the author mentioned. He spoke in depth about the knowledge worker and what motivates them to do work. Today, a knowledge worker is a company’s asset. They are the centre when information is processed, assimilated and disseminated in the form of ideas and action plans. They tie their skills, intelligence, and imagination and apply it to real life situations in a way that a computer will not. This just proves that human capital cannot be neglected at the end of the day. This fascinated me. Day by day, people (manual worker) are being replaced by machines but there is still one valuable asset that no machine can provide .i.e. perception. I consider myself to be a very perceptive individual and have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and problem solving. I could see myself as the ‘knowledge worker’ the author described in the chapter. And I also knew what...
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...exists is to look over the wealth fare of its citizens. Think of some of the things that a company must put on their products, labels on alcohol and cigarettes tell the dangers that come from using them, and all foods packages must have the ingredients printed on them. The government also sets up programs like family first to help people in need. Even in high school a person needs four years of gym. Peter Drucker touches this subject in his essay “The Age of Social Transformation” as he talks about a changing society. The government made the decision that using the knowledge that Monsanto found was the right thing to do for the farming industry. The best times will come when the knowledge that people have is used to enhance their lives. What good is knowledge if it is not used? There is no point in learning new things if the only reason for learning them is to prove a point or to know more than someone else. Knowledge should be used and the...
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...HUMAN RESOURCING: A MOMENTOUS INGREDIENT DICTATING ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOUR In October 2002, after a recent departure of two trainee employees, problems in human resourcing were re-asserted. The current events in the organization were not adequate to sustain the workers and hence not ensuring an organizational behavior leading to substantial success. My paper will be consisting of two parts. In the first part, I will be weighing the existing conditions & their repercussions. The first part will be highlighting three crucial aspects. While in the second part I will be formulating a transformation in the organizational strategy assisting to resolute the contemporary problems. STATUS QUO AT ASGM Organization configuration & dynamics responsible for achievements till now Ashraf Silk and General Mills had been a family oriented business since the start. Being initiated in 1951 and till 2002 it has been led by one of the Khawajas. They have been observing a ‘Paternalistic’ or ‘Benevolent Autocracy’ style of operational management. Decision making is centralized at the top & the employees are not involved in planning and decision making. The behavior of the management is decent and kind towards the workers and they expect employees to be loyal, sub-servant, compliant and co-operative to management. It was observed that they let the option of expansion at current place go for the reason that it would complexity the operations due to larger work force and the unions involved...
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...Information Systems Today, 5e (Valacich/Schneider) Chapter 1: Managing in the Digital World 1) Knowledge workers are professionals who ________. A) use knowledge to perform their jobs, but do not create knowledge B) create, modify, and/or synthesize knowledge as a fundamental part of their jobs C) use their skills to help others gain knowledge D) modify knowledge created by others, but do not create knowledge themselves E) work in the education industry Answer: B Page Ref: 5 AACSB: Use of IT Difficulty: Easy Objective: LO 1-1 Classification: Conceptual 2) Which of the following predictions made by Peter Drucker is true? A) Knowledge workers have lesser bargaining power than workers in other industries. B) Knowledge workers do not possess valuable real-world skills. C) Knowledge workers are not reliant on formal education. D) Knowledge workers are continually learning how to do their jobs better. E) Knowledge workers are not paid as well as their prior industrial counterparts. Answer: D Page Ref: 5 AACSB: Use of IT Difficulty: Moderate Objective: LO 1-1 Classification: Conceptual 3) During the time of the industrial revolution, some individuals who felt threatened by the changes brought about by technology resorted to protesting against the technology. Identify these individuals. A) Luddites B) Utopists C) Millenarists D) Utilitarians E) Preterists Answer: A Page Ref: 7 AACSB: Use of IT Difficulty: Easy Objective: LO 1-1 ...
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...BUSINESS STRATEGY OTHER ECONOMIST BOOKS Guide to Analysing Companies Guide to Business Modelling Guide to Business Planning Guide to Economic Indicators Guide to the European Union Guide to Management Ideas Numbers Guide Style Guide Dictionary of Business Dictionary of Economics International Dictionary of Finance Brands and Branding Business Consulting Business Ethics Business Miscellany China’s Stockmarket Dealing with Financial Risk Future of Technology Globalisation Guide to Financial Markets Headhunters and How to Use Them Successful Mergers The City Wall Street Essential Director Essential Economics Essential Finance Essential Internet Essential Investment Essential Negotiation Pocket World in Figures BUSINESS STRATEGY A Guide to Effective Decision-Making Jeremy Kourdi THE ECONOMIST IN ASSOCIATION WITH PROFILE BOOKS LTD Published by Profile Books Ltd 3a Exmouth House, Pine Street, London ec1r 0jh www.profilebooks.com Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Ltd 2003 Text copyright © Jeremy Kourdi 2003 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. The greatest care has been taken in compiling this book. However, no responsibility can...
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...NOTES In this modern era, knowledge is important in every aspect. It will lead us to success and provide a good solution for any problem. KNOWLEDGE is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextual information, expert insight and grounded intuition that provides and environment and framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knowers. In organization, it often becomes embedded not only in documents or repositories but also in organizational routines, processes, practices, and norms. Knowledge is the ability to make effective decisions, and take effective action. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT as a conscious discipline would appear to be somewhere between five and fifteen years old. It evolved from the thinking of academics and pioneers such as Peter Drucker in the 1970s, Karl-Erik Sveiby in the late 1980s, and Nonaka and Takeuchi in the 1990s. During that time, economic, social and technological changes were transforming the way that companies worked. Globalization emerged and brought new opportunities and increased competition. Companies responded by downsizing, merging, acquiring, reengineering and outsourcing. Many streamlined their workforce and boosted their productivity and their profits by using advances in computer and network technology. Knowledge management really helps to achieve our objectives for individual or an organization. EFFECTIVE knowledge management will greatly contribute...
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