Thoughts on Knowledge Workers

In my last post I wrote about learning from what not to do. Over the last few years I have become distinctly aware of how employees are demoralised when not seeing them as knowledge workers. Right now I'm studying how knowledge workers have been defined in the last century. This will be essential as I build a successful professional service firm.

I'm reading "Management Challenges for the 21st Century" by Peter F. Drucker

From the book...

...knowledge workers must know more about their job than their boss does—or else they are not good at all. In fact, that they know more about their job than anybody else in the organization is part of the definition of knowledge workers.

Altogether, an increasing number of people who are full-time employees have to be managed as if they were volunteers. They are paid, to be sure. But knowledge workers have mobility. They can leave. They own their "means of production," which is their knowledge.

We have known for fifty years that money alone does not motivate to perform. Dissatisfaction with money grossly demotivates. Satisfaction with money is, however, mainly a "hygiene factor"....What motivates—and especially what motivates knowledge workers—is what motivates volunteers. Volunteers, we know, have to get more satisfaction from their work than paid employees, precisely because they do not get a paycheck. The need, above all, challenge. They need to know the organization's mission and to believe in it. They need continuous training. They need to see results.

On my last job there was a lack of mission. As a matter of fact there was no mission at all. At times I did wounder why I was not satisfied at the job because the pay was good. My learning from Drucker is giving me good indication as to why.

Read the book for yourself and find out!