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THE SHIFT FROM MANUAL WORKS TO KNOWLEDGE WORK

What is in the world of work is that its center of gravity has sharply shifted from manual work to knowledge work . In 1920, the ratio of manual workers to knowledge workers was 2:1. By 1980, things were the other way around. The mid-point in this shift seems to be 1956, the year white-collar workers first outnumbered blue-collar workers. In recent testimony before a senate subcommittee, the percentage of knowledge workers in the computer industry was estimated at 72% (13% managerial, 15% clerical, and 44% technical and professional); and, on the other side of the coin, the percentage of the employed work force engaged in actual manufacturing operations was estimated at 13%.

More important, the pace of the shift from manual work to knowledge work seems to be slowing considerably. Bureau of Labor and Bureau of Census projections for 1990 show roughly the same ratio of knowledge workers to manual workers as was revealed by the 1980 Census. Because “growth is never exponential in a linear way, but follows an S-shaped or logistic curve”, we are probably witnessing, among other things, the “leveling off” of the shift from manual work to knowledge work.

Most important, then, it is time to stop holding our breath and start examining how the new world of knowledge work differs from the old one of manual work. To do so requires first making a distinction between work and working.
A major difference between knowledge work and manual work is that knowledge work is information-based and manual work is materials-based. A manual work process, no matter how much skill and knowledge is required of the worker, consists of converting materials from one form to another (with or without the use of tools and equipment).

Because manual work consists of converting materials from one form to another, the results of a manual process are tangible. Because knowledge work consists of converting information from one form to another, the results of a knowledge work process are frequently intangible. Although it is true that both the manual worker and the knowledge worker work with knowledge and information, only the knowledge worker works on them. Consequently, the nature of working is very different for a knowledge worker than it is for a manual worker.

“The essence of the knowledge organization is that work is done in the head” . This means that working (and work, while it is in process) can’t be seen. In other words, the working behaviors of the manual worker are public and those of the knowledge worker are private. From the perspective of a supervisor or an industrial engineer, this means the visibility of working is high for a manual worker and low for a knowledge worker. (Nickols, 2012)

Owing to the materials-based nature of manual work and to the public nature of its working activities, it is a comparatively simple matter to observe the interactions between the manual worker, any tools or equipment being used, and the materials being processed to determine which behaviors contribute to the desired results and which do not. Moreover, results (and therefore feedback) are almost always immediate. Conversely, owing to the information-based nature of knowledge work and to the private nature of its working activities, the linkages between behavior and results are not so apparent, and they are rarely immediate.

References

Nickols, F. (2012). mproving the Performance of People, Processes and Organizations. DISTANCE CONSULTING.


Comments

  1. harsha11 June 2019 at 10:01

    We are living in a era dominated by knowledge workers. Also knowledge itself changes knowledge workers have to work hard to keep up.

    ReplyDelete

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