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Knowledge workers use their expertise to analyze, develop, and communicate information in various professions. They require critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and self-management. Quality and innovation are valued over productivity.
Knowledge workers are people who make their living by understanding, analysing, developing, applying and/or communicating their knowledge in a specific area. Peter Drucker is credited with coining the term knowledge worker in his 1959 book Milestones of Tomorrow to describe a person who works primarily with information. Although knowledge workers are commonly associated with computers and information technology, they are employed in many professions in areas such as education, medicine, law and engineering.
Professors, medical researchers, lawyers, architects and technical writers are all knowledge workers, as information is the cornerstone of these careers. Professors convey information to students, while medical researchers collect it as part of the scientific process. Lawyers argue cases based on information along with their knowledge of the law. Architects use their expertise to design buildings, bridges and other structures.
Typically, a knowledge worker is expected to have high-level thinking and analytical skills. He or she must not simply acquire knowledge through rote memorization, but expand it through critical thinking, such as the application of cause and effect principles. Reflecting on why and how things happen, as well as what the outcome will be, is routinely done by all types of knowledge workers. People who make a living working with knowledge and information must often take responsibility for dealing with unique situations. They are expected to be problem solvers, not just method workers.
Analyzing and learning from past and present issues often sets knowledge workers apart from other types of employees. They also manage information, because if something isn’t working, they often need to make the necessary changes to complete the objectives. For example, if a lawyer’s court case is not proving as convincing and effective as he planned, the lawyer is responsible for going back to the facts or information from the case to look for new angles to bring to light.
Knowledge workers generally do not perform simple and routine tasks. Drucker argues that the value of a knowledge worker is not measured in quantity and productivity as much as in quality. Knowledge workers are valued for their expertise and also for the innovation they are capable of. Both learning and teaching can be part of a knowledge worker’s job. A high degree of self-management skill is required in knowledge work, as the focus is often on the process of analyzing and developing information and the worker must discover the best methods for achieving objectives.
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