The knowledge worker
Featured in the Knowledge Management training manual
By Mike Bagshaw & Paul Phillips
Category: Management
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
More and more, today’s employers are opting to become knowledge-driven organisations; they require knowledge workers. Simply put, knowledge workers are actively involved in the 6 ‘C’s: capability in terms of knowledge and skills (encompasses the other 5 Cs); codification of knowledge; connection to communities of practice; capturing of tacit knowledge; co-creation of new knowledge; conversion to action that adds value. The labour force will increasingly be divided into knowledge workers – those who are highly trained and skilled – and unskilled workers. For the latter, the future could be bleak: in the global economy, unskilled employees in this country will compete with others from around the world, including those from low-wage, developing countries. The technical infrastructure should automate the knowledge creation process as much as is feasible; knowledge workers need to be cultivated to make the enterprise inherently efficient and effective. The knowledge worker uses knowledge assets to discover innovative perspectives and to generate business options, which in turn adds breadth and depth to the knowledge assets of the enterprise. The knowledge worker should be viewed as a long term asset. His or her professional growth should be vigorously encouraged by the enterprise. Because the benefits of knowledge work are often indirect, delayed or diffused, productivity of the knowledge worker should be examined within the greater context of the overall enterprise and its success. This training activity emphasises the importance of developing ourselves as knowledge workers, both for our own employability and the success of the business.
You begin this training activity with an introductory exercise to encourage the participants to explore the concept of the knowledge worker, including defining the term. You follow this with a short presentation which encapsulates the key issues. The participants then interview each other using a checklist to determine the degree to which they exhibit the skills and attitudes of a knowledge worker. Finally, you end the training activity with a summary session in which each participant states what they are going to do to improve their effectiveness as a knowledge worker.
Who is it for: This training resource is intended for use by trainers to emphasis the importance of developing ourselves as knowledge workers, both for our own employability and the success of the business.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 4 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:45:00 |
| No of Pages: | 16 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training resource is intended for use by trainers on personal development programmes, development interviews and coaching sessions, and in team development programmes that need to establish a knowledge sharing climate.
Download the training activity, The knowledge worker as featured in the Fenman training manual; Knowledge Management