The Implications Of Knowledge Work

dsplat writes: "Business 2.0 has an article titled Mind Over Matter concerning the implications of "knowledge work" and its potential effects on the relationships between corporations, their employees and their customers. In many ways, it reads like a less strident version of the Cluetrain Manifesto. One telling quote is: 'Traditional capital was stuck in a company's bank account or investments. It could not walk away in disgust. Human capital has free will. It can walk out the door; traditional capital cannot.' This article is part of a larger series titled The 10 Driving Principles of the New Economy. "

It may be true that human capital can walk, but nondisclosure agreements, incremental vesting and health benefits -- not to mention car payments, mortgages and diapers -- mean that walking often isn't simple. Smart businesses, ironically, may make themselves attractive to potential employees by ensuring that they're easy to leave, not just to start at. And even though this article is about "knowledge work," it bears repeating that only a small fraction of jobs fit that category.

Comments

Nice but

[Jon Peterson]

"Imagine the impact of millions of fresh-thinking, energized youth -armed with the most powerful tools ever created-hitting the work force"

This happens every generation. I don't see what's new.

However, the perception of human resources as capital assets rather than an expense is very important. Those of us with even a limited remit on the commercial side of business know that expense and capital are two very different things. I know that if I could get management to think of people as a capital resource our engineering team at least would be all the better for it.

However, the article seems to think that the entire next generation will be these media-savvy uber-workers. They won't. There will be just as many people working in light industry for minimum wages, just as many short order chefs and just as many petrol station cashiers.

It's only a revolution of the yuppies.

Lack of knowledge about knowledge workers

[Ummon]

The hardest part of my job is trying to explain to management what I do. They all know it has something to do with computers, I'm usually the first person they call when problems occur. But the more arcane bits of my job are inexplicable to most of them. It's like magic. Even my direct supervisor is a little hazy about how I spend most of my day (no slashdot jokes please).

And from talking with friends and others, it's the same if not worse elsewhere.

So how can management quantify your value if they don't understand your function? Whose responsiblity is it to understand your function? How can we educate management about our functions?

A Quick Suit's Guide to this aritcle.

[Jacques Chester]

This article was interesting enough. I'm sure it would blow quite a few PHB and biz-book-of-the-month types away.

But what did the author actually say that matters? Here's my breakdown of the article. Consider it the Cliff's Notes (tm) version:

• Hackers Kick Butt. Gee, those hacker kids shure are smart. They can use computers, surf the web, and generate sound-bites more or less on demand. I guess that we all know that something approaching a geek renaissance is underway.
• Treat Your Hackers Nicely. I think this much is given. But then the old "my workers are my capital" is cliched. I think the idea worth handing to your boss is this: Make the place hard to get into (ie: so many people want to join that ...) and easy to leave. Take a page from the Book of Source on this one.
• The Net Stings. This is already true. 100,000 Slasherati are bad enough. But when the net becomes the forum for liking and hating companies, things speed up. Companies beware: it takes just one indisgression to ruin your image. The net has a long memory for being slighted.

That's my take on it. Now, if I may add my own observations:

• Hackers Know Hackers. This was discussed in relation to the "getting an opensource job" story. If you are a suit you will look for suitish qualities: speaking skills, a desire for progression, and so on. But these things are not the traditional purview of Hackers. So bring your alphageek or uberhacker to the interview and get them to vet your applicant. You'll be glad for it later.
• Kick The Bozos. Look, if you really must fire someone, fire the guy who never pulls his weight. This guy might either be the guy who's really great fun, really funny, but never codes. Or he might be the psycho who never lets anyone touch his code.
• Know Thy Hackers. Above all, know your hackers. Understand that to their eyes, you will have an alarmingly low Clue Factor Index (CFI). It is your job - repeat - your job to try and lower this CFI by asking genuine, searching questions, after doing some background reading. So who is this RMS guy? What does opensource mean? And so on.

  Some final thoughts: marketing does not equal product. Hackers do not equal time wasted. Managers are not hackers. Garfield is not Odie. And so on.

  Good luck. YMMV, as ever.

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