8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 1/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Communication

Week 7: Knowledge Work  

MIT 634602

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 2/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Knowledge Economy

• traditional roles: employer – employee (boss – worker)

• profit source: manufacturingproducts – strategic management

of knowledge resources

• employing skills and expertise

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 3/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Support for Knowledge workers

• Information systems –

 provide access toorganisational data and knowledge to ALL

workers

• Expert Systems –

 allow semi-skilled andinexperienced staff carry out tasks

requiring simple expertise 

• Global access to information (WWW)available to any organisation and its

workers

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 4/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Knowledge worker

Evaluate all workers (white and bluecollar) on basis of:

• individual experience

• knowledge and training

• personal networks (support sources)

Manuel Castells The Information Age: Society and

Culture 1996) 

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 5/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

A New Economy

•Information

•All types of facts formula events objects

and things can be represented as

information

•information can be communicated and

shared

•global reach allows information-based

commerce to be conducted across the globe

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 6/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

KM

• ‘The capabilities by which communitieswithin an organization capture the

knowledge that is critical to them,constantly improve it and make it availablein the most effective manner to thosepeople who need it, so that they can exploit

it creatively to add value as part of theirwork.’  

Royal Dutch/Shell definition taken from the BSI Guide

to Good Practice  

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 7/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Knowledge Management

If organizations can manageorganisational knowledge andorganisational memory better, thenthey can become more efficient.

• expertise

• experience

• history/ precedent

• training• competitor intelligence

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 8/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Types of knowledge

Define knowledge by type in terms offunction:

· Declarative knowledge (knowledgeabout)

· Procedural knowledge (know-how)

· Causal (know why)· Conditional (know when)

· Relational (know with)

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 9/12

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 10/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Internet as knowledge

source• Bad information ( including bad

science)

• Anarchy of the Internet – nosupervision

• Digital divide

• Privacy

• Cybercrime/cyberfraud

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 11/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Communication and

Knowledge Management• Transcribing data into information

• Converting information to

knowledge

8/11/2019 634602 Wk7 Knowledge Workers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/634602-wk7-knowledge-workers 12/12

MIT 634602 MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

references

• Dwyer, J. Communication in Business:strategies and Skills

• Castells, Manuel and Aoyama, Yuku1994 ‘Paths towards the InformationalSociety: Employment structure in G-7

countries, 1920 - 90’ International

labour Review  vol 133:1