scholarly journals Who is a “knowledge worker” – clarifying the meaning of the term through comparison with synonymous and associated terms

Management ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Surawski
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
University Education ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Level Statistics ◽  
Popular Language ◽  
High Level

Summary The term “knowledge worker” has entered the language of management and economics, becoming popular or even fashionable. Consequently, its definitions are varied and often ambiguous or provisional – which makes it difficult to identify and research such employees. Deeper understanding of the term “knowledge workers” is required. One of the ways of defining a term is to define its semantic area through borders and overlaps with synonyms and “adjoining” terms. Such comparisons can help to deepen understanding of the central term and reveal its defining features. Therefore, two objectives were set in this study: 1) to compare “knowledge workers” and synonymous and associated terms specifying similarities, differences and areas of overlap, in order to find defining features of “knowledge workers”; and 2) to specify the synonymous and associated terms closest to knowledge workers and useful as proxies for research purposes. A group of 15 synonyms was selected, including historical and presently applied terms, proposed by various researchers or used in popular language. These terms were first characterized, and then compared to knowledge workers in terms of similarities, differences and areas of overlap. Comparison pointed to a number of features strongly related to knowledge work. Based on them, a sketch definition was proposed: Knowledge workers work mainly on symbols (representations), transforming them in cognitive processes, which is the main source of added value. To do that, they must command a large body of knowledge equivalent to university education, understood and internalised, grounded in experience and consequently updated. They perform complex tasks, focus on problem-solving, creating knowledge, distributing it and applying to achieve results. They broadly use documents and ICT, and require high level of autonomy. With respect to the second aim of the study, there are several terms closer in meaning to knowledge workers. Terms with most similarities and least differences include specialists and experts. Of these, specialists have most similarities, while experts are a narrower, more advanced type of specialists. In terms of overlap, categories closest to knowledge workers seem to be specialists/ professionals (wider) and professionals (narrower) – both are large sub-sets of knowledge workers, with specialists leaving fewer remainders. As far as identifiability is concerned, terms related to classifications of occupations are those better defined. Among them, “white-collars”, knowledge producers and distributors, and information workers were measured in older classifications, while specialists/ professionals and managers are categories measured today. Both are defined in detail in ISCO-08, making them identifiable also at the organisational level. Statistics of specialists and managers are gathered regularly in most countries belonging to ILO and are easily accessible. Concluding, specialists/ professionals (wider) are the best proxy group for researching knowledge workers: they possess almost the same key features, overlap closely, leaving smallest remainder, and are defined in detail in an international classification used worldwide to measure their national populations. Selecting a random member of the group, one is practically certain to find a knowledge worker.

Lifelong Learning in Developing Knowledge Workers

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Halim Abdul Majid ◽  
Nor Bizura Seth
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Lifelong Learning ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Codified Knowledge ◽  
College Of Business ◽  
High Level ◽  
The University ◽  
Universiti Utara Malaysia ◽  
Developing Knowledge

This monograph discusses the importance of lifelong learning in developing knowledge workers and human capital. Facets of lifelong learning, knowledge workers and human capital are highlighted to provide basic understanding to all readers. The facets of lifelong learning include accessibility to learning, investment for learning, methods and contents of learning, values of learning, direction and guidance in learning and learning opportunities closer to home. Meanwhile, the facets of knowledge worker are problem solving, using intellectual skills, requiring a high level of autonomy, emphasizing on quality of judgment, using unique processes, possessing un-codified knowledge, sourcing between his ears and using knowledge and information to add to deeper knowledge and information. There are several individuals whom we would like to thank for their contributions to this monograph. This monograph has benefited greatly from the inputs, comments and expertise as well as working experience of all contributors. We also would like to thank the School of Business Management, the College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, the Research Innovation and Management Center (RIMC) of Universiti Utara Malaysia and the top leaders of the University for their encouragement and support. Those who have contributed directly or indirectly toward the publication of this monograph also deserve our appreciation.

scholarly journals The Relation Between Work and Thumos. A Critical Interrogation of the Motivation Behind Knowledge Work Compulsion

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benda Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Neoliberal Governmentality ◽  
Critical Understanding ◽  
To Come

In this paper I attempt to come to a critical understanding of an intriguing phenomenon at the heart of a broader question, i.e. what are we today – as knowledge workers – in relation to our present understood as the globalising neoliberal governmentality in which life is reduced to constant work under conditions of comprehensive control? Previous attempts to interrogate the nature of knowledge work and the knowledge worker have led me to conclude that these workers do not work to live, but live to work. An important reason seems to be that the neoliberal knowledge worker works all the time because s/he paradoxically wants to. This presents a paradox since the overinvestment in knowledge work does not appear to generate proportionate gains for the working subject. In my attempt to arrive at some kind of explication for this phenomenon of compulsive work, I critically interrogate Fukuyama’s contention that work has a thumotic origin. To this end I briefly discuss Plato’s conceptualisation of thumos and Hegel’s understanding of the significance of labour.

scholarly journals An Analysis Of Perceptions Regarding Knowledge-Worker Instructional Needs In Graduate Management Programs

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Scully ◽  
John W. Russette ◽  
Robert Preziosi ◽  
Francisco De Cossio
Keyword(s):  
Literature Search ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Demographic Groups ◽  
Item Questionnaire ◽  
Global Commerce ◽  
Instructional Needs

Relevance in Management programs has become a major issue for colleges and universities. The literature posits that proactive educational institutions need to retool and refocus their programs to be consistent with business organizations which have been transformed by technology and global commerce. This study addresses the reliability of contemporary perceptions and postulates expressed in the literature related to effectively managing knowledge-work professionals. A literature search of knowledge-worker writings was collected and perceptions were extracted for further evaluation. These extracted attributes were set into a thirty-five item questionnaire and administered to three demographic groups including: (a) knowledge-workers, (b) knowledge-worker managers, and (c) knowledge worker educators. Results indicate that if such a validated perception-based program were offered it would raise fulfillment of needs for knowledge-workers, managers, and educators and offer a unique, identifiable program related to teaching and researching related to this new management paradigm.

Knowledge Worker Performance in a Cross-Industrial Perspective

2012 ◽  
pp. 297-321
Author(s):  
Rainer Erne
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Oecd Countries ◽  
Alternative Definition ◽  
Worker Performance ◽  
Knowledge Intensive ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Business Sectors

Knowledge workers in specific professional domains form the fastest increasing workforce in OECD countries. Since this fact has been realised by management researchers, they have focussed on the question of how to measure and enhance the productivity of said workforce. According to the author’s cross-industrial research undertaken in five different knowledge-intensive organisations, it is, however, not productivity in the traditional meaning of the term which is to be regarded as the crucial performance indicator in knowledge work. There rather exist multiple performance indicators, each of which is, moreover, differently graded as to its importance by different stakeholders. These findings, firstly, indicate the need for an alternative definition of productivity when the term is applied to knowledge work. Secondly, they indicate the need for alternative definitions of the specific challenges that might be involved in making knowledge workers productive. Thirdly, they imply different consequences for the management of knowledge workers. This chapter closes abovementioned research gaps by summarising the indicators employed in five knowledge-intensive organisations from different business sectors for the assessment of knowledge workers’ performance, by subsequently deducing the specific challenges involved in the management of knowledge workers and by further delineating consequences for the management of knowledge workers – consequences affecting various knowledge-intensive industries.

HRM and Knowledge Workers

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juani Swart
Keyword(s):  
Final Section ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Practice Development

This article develops a definition of the knowledge worker and discusses the characteristics of knowledge workers and their work. It then shifts to the organizational level and takes a closer look at the characteristics of knowledge-based organizations and the management of knowledge work. Several managerial and theoretical challenges arise when we combine individual and organizational knowledge perspectives. Each of these challenges, together with relevant knowledge-focused HR practices, is discussed and presented in a table, which serves as a summary to the article. The final section looks toward the future and explores possible avenues for research, theory-building, and HRM policy and practice development.

Knowledge management, organizational commitment and knowledge-worker performance

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 923-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahid Razzaq ◽  
Muhammad Shujahat ◽  
Saddam Hussain ◽  
Faisal Nawaz ◽  
Minhong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Commitment ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Work Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public

Purpose Knowledge management in the public sector is relatively an ignored avenue of research and practice that has recently been given attention. Knowledge management initiatives in the public sector are now not limited to the developed countries anymore. The public sectors of various developing countries including Pakistan have developed knowledge management functions to address the problems of low organizational commitment (higher turnover rates) and knowledge-workers’ performance. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the mediation role of organizational commitment in the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-worker performance. Design/methodology/approach The data were gathered from 341 knowledge workers of the public sector health department of Punjab Province, Pakistan, where knowledge management unit initiative has been taken. It was then analyzed using the structural equation modeling. Findings Organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between knowledge management practices and knowledge-work performance. Practical implications The public sector policy makers are strongly advised to implement knowledge management units and practices in order to enhance knowledge-work performance as well as organizational commitment. Originality/value First, the model on the mediating role of organizational commitment has never been examined before. Second, the data collection from the public Health Department of Pakistan, a developing country, is relatively rare because the public sector knowledge management studies have mostly been conducted in developed countries. Finally, this study extends the literature on knowledge management in the public sector that is the developing theme in knowledge management discipline while adding knowledge management as a toolkit to enhance knowledge-workers’, organizational commitment and knowledge-work performance.

scholarly journals Digital Technologies for Managing Innovation of Knowledge Work: The Case of a Chinese SME

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zihan Song ◽  
◽  
Niki Chatzipanagiotou
Keyword(s):  
Explicit Knowledge ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Supportive Role ◽  
Managing Innovation ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Small Medium Enterprises ◽  
Medium Enterprises

The paper examines the perceptions of knowledge workers of small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Chinese context in regards to managing innovation in their knowledge work with the support of digital technologies. Main concepts such as knowledge, knowledge work, knowledge workers, innovation in knowledge work and digital technologies along with Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization (SECI) model form the theoretical framework of this research which is used to discuss the research findings. The research adopts the interpretive qualitative approach and collects data through semi-structured face-to-face individual and group interviews. The collected empirical material that is analyzed thematically, yields eight themes which show that knowledge workers’ active interaction with knowledge supports the conversion from tacit to explicit knowledge back and forth. This assists the creation of new knowledge and, therefore, innovation in knowledge work; digital technologies play a supportive role in managing innovation in SME knowledge workers’ daily work.This research contributes to the current body of knowledge within informatics by empowering knowledge workers to share their viewpoints in regards to managing innovation in their knowledge work with the support of digital technologies. It also deepens the understanding of the formation mechanism of innovation in knowledge work. Finally, the research enriches and extends the existing body of knowledge and provides some valuable insights for the use of digital technologies in knowledge work to promote innovation.

The use of the balanced scorecard to measure knowledge work

2015 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 590-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas John Wake
Keyword(s):  
Balanced Scorecard ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Balanced Scorecard

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to question whether the balanced scorecard provides an appropriate control mechanism for management control of knowledge workers. Design/methodology/approach – A case study approach is taken to explore the way in which management control of employees engaged in research and development is undertaken. Findings – The key finding of this work is that the balanced scorecard is not in itself a useful approach to management control of knowledge workers but provides an important mechanism for ensuring that there is alignment between the strategic objectives of an organisation and the work being undertaken. Research limitations/implications – The inductive approach taken in a single-company case study has provided a rich data set for exploratory research, however, this research design limits the generalisability of the findings. Practical implications – The work provides insights into how the balanced scorecard can be used in knowledge-worker environments. Originality/value – The balanced scorecard is often reported as a tool that allows organisations to cascade strategic priorities down to the level of the individual though the use of measures. This research provides an alternative explanation of how the balanced scorecard can support knowledge worker control.

scholarly journals Associations Between Perceptions of the Work Environment and Job Burnout Based on MIMIC Models Among 679 Knowledge Workers

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 215824402199938
Author(s):  
Ming Guan
Keyword(s):  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Job Burnout ◽  
Mimic Models ◽  
Multiple Indicators ◽  
Environment Model

In the current times, knowledge work and knowledge worker play an important role in organizational development. The purpose of this paper is to examine the associations between perceptions of the work environment and job burnout among 679 knowledge workers with a publicly available data. Based on the exploratory factor analysis, five multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) models are acceptable and confirm, including socioeconomic factors→perceptions of the work environment model, socioeconomic factors→job burnout model, perceptions of the work environment←socioeconomic factors→job burnout model, perceptions of the work environment→job burnout model, and job burnout→perceptions of the work environment model. The results from MIMIC models indicated job burnout has significant associations with perceptions of the work environment. The implications of these results for well-beings among the knowledge workers are discussed.

The Ecosystem of Business Education in a Technology Environment

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-57
Author(s):  
Jane Hartman Frankel
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Economy ◽  
Knowledge Workers ◽  
Knowledge Worker ◽  
Knowledge Work ◽  
Project Work ◽  
Positive Direction ◽  
Individual Knowledge ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Sustainable Organizations

: The Knowledge Economy is the environment within which we live and work today. It impacts all work, both within organizations and the emerging workforce. The Knowledge Economy relies on workers’ expertise (individual knowledge) and the informed integration of this knowledge to move an organization in a positive direction. This article describes a Knowledge Economy program (Project-based Internships) that enables organizations and new workforce members to experience and grasp the importance of knowledge work in sustaining and growing organizations. This is especially applicable to the technology domain as the founders in this area are focused on their individual knowledge of science and technology. They often need to build sustainable organizations with knowledge work to deliver and sustain their expert inventions and/or discoveries. : Knowledge work has two distinct attributes that define its orientation and operation. Knowledge workers are autonomous in their work and they are asset-thinkers, meaning that all work is focused on a result, which will create value for an organization. Within these two attributes, knowledge workers also must recognize the difference between quality and quantity, use project structures, and continuously evaluate for learning and innovation. : Our current education system does not recognize the individual knowledge perspective in shaping students’ experiences. Project-based work is structured to empower and enable students’ experiences to be knowledge work to foster this thinking and its best practices and to create the environment that supports knowledge work within the organizations that the knowledge worker serves. : Various current-day methodologies are built into the structured project work, such as The Lean Startup, the recognition of invisible capital and growth mindsets, building knowledge work capabilities, and, finally, building an organizational environment in which success will thrive.

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