The term “knowledge
worker” was first found in the book called “The Landmarks of Tomorrow” (1959) by
Peter Drucker, also defined the 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.
This category includes professionals
such as programmers, web designers, system analysts, technical writers, and
researchers. Knowledge workers are also comprised of pharmacists, public
accountants, engineers, architects, lawyers, physicians, scientists, financial
analysts, and design thinkers.
Knowledge workers also pre-defined
as ‘White-Collar-Workers’ by Upton Sinclair (1950) to who performed
administrative and clerical roles and those who performed manual tasks in the workplace were named as blue-collar workers.
Most people worked in
traditional types of knowledge-based work such as teachers, ministers, and
writers. As industrialization progressed, new types of workers used the information to make a living. Investors, managers, and consultants were among
the employees.
The knowledgeable staff is
factual and can read and write. They use the information to solve problems. In
addition, good communication skills enable them to work closely with other
employees in decision-making, goal setting, and negotiation. The team should be
enthusiastic and motivated to find a new information and apply it in their work
Why are Knowledge Workers Important to
the organization?
According to Cohen
(2011), Knowledge staff is very efficient and contributes to market growth over
the past millennium. knowledgeable work is gaining momentum in a developing
economy, and organizations will need to find ways to increase productivity.
Roots that increase the productivity of their experienced staff will have the
opportunity to compete.
Donations from
experienced staff will help expand the organization's knowledge assets. It will
be difficult to quantify, but it will increase the overall value of the
company's strategic capital. They form working groups, communicate
systematically, build, share, and store information, coordinate time and
strategic objectives, and discuss the next steps to move the organization
forward to achieve in their ultimate goal.
HR Involvement
Knowledge staff is a unique resource that requires and
is appropriate for time management and care. Traditional motivational ideas do
not advance with working facts or the interests of knowledgeable workers
(Maccoby, 1988).
The organization’s HR
policies and procedures are required to establish a new type of incentive/remuneration
plan to motivate and retain the knowledge workers. The organization and HR Department
should carefully evaluate and plan when creating and implementing an
appropriate reward system for them.
Since knowledge works are
assets in organizations because they have different skills and knowledge
compared to manual workers (blue-collar) who perform repetitive tasks. Because
information workers have to produce results that are different from those of
ordinary workers, they must be treated and measured differently. Keep an open
mind and be aware of the various needs and motives of experienced staff. This
will make it much easier for them to come up with new and effective ways to
grow their product.
Conclusion
Knowledge workers are very efficient and contribute to market growth and are typically in charge of exploring and developing new ideas rather than implementing and managing existing processes. New products, new designs, and new business models are typical outcomes of knowledge work. Therefore, organizations should adopt an effective plan to motivate and retain them in the long run.
References
CFI Education Inc, 2016. Corporate Finance
Institute. [Online]
Available at: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/knowledge-workers/
[Accessed August 2021].
Cohen, J., 2011. Financial
Times. [Online]
Available at: https://www.ft.com/content/5731c4e0-edcf-11e0-acc7-00144feab49a
[Accessed August 2021].
Maccoby, M.
(1988) Why Work: Motivating the New Generation. New York: Simon and Schuster
Good article Amjad . 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
ReplyDeleteNicely Written Amjad, a knowledge worker is an employee whose prime involvement to the workplace is knowledge of a precise subject. Some examples of knowledge workers contain physicians, academics, engineers and architects. Knowledge workers may be said to reason for a living, rather than performing manual or interpersonal tasks. While most jobs need some degree of knowledge work, employees nominated as knowledge workers are usually distinguished by their capability to solve problems and develop new resources in their explicit field of expertise.
ReplyDeleteIt may be their ideas, experiences, interpretations, and judgments that propel your company, economy, and society ahead. They create new goods, devise new tactics, lead negotiations, and help you stay ahead of your competition.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge workers help business development from their own way of thinking, researching and analysing information (Drucker, 1959). Organizations must adapt proper strategies to facilitate the innovative ideas of knowledge workers since they help to outperform in the competitive environment.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge workers play an important role in driving success in any organization. Their specific skills and knowledge are extremely valuable as knowledge workers are often the ones driving innovation in the workplace. Employers need to have a well-set strategy around how to enable their knowledge workers to succeed and get the most out of their knowledge.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge workers are are important and organization must understand the importance of them. These people are using their extra ordinary knowledge to solve complex problems by developing new theories and concepts. As you mentioned Amjad, these people will be more valuable asset because of their creativity and productivity.
ReplyDeleteA well-written article on advantages of the knowledgeable workforce. Every company loves to have a knowledgeable employee on their team, as they can significantly increase organizational productivity. I believe that a combination of knowledge and an efficient workforce can accomplish great things. Thanks for sharing, and you have well defined how important it is in today's context, particularly in light of the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteGreat article.I should say Knowledge workers are often the core of the organization.It can be their ideas, experiences, interpretations, and judgments that keep your business. Rather than performing tasks of a physical nature for a living, knowledge workers think to solve problems that are complex, develop new services or products, or produce findings from research in a specific format. A major benefit of HR knowledge management is allowing employees to find and access the information they need without the assistance of HR.
ReplyDeleteIt is so appreciated !A major benefit of HR knowledge management is allowing employees to find and access the information they need without the assistance of HR. ... This is important from a practical business perspective in that not every employee should be able to see all of a company's available HR documents, policies, and agreements.
ReplyDeleteOrganizations need to have knowledgeable workers with them if they want to sustain themselves in the market. The knowledge people are bridging theory to practice also helps to grow and to take your organizations to the next levels. Thanks for sharing. According to Cohen (2011), in the last century, knowledge workers became more productive and helped the market grow" nowadays companies seeking multi-talented persons for their jobs.
ReplyDeleteA important article Amjad
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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. Worth to read.
ReplyDelete