|
Fritz Machlup in 1962 in "The Production and Distribution of Knowledge in the US" coined the term 'knowledge industries'.
Peter Drucker in "The Age of Discontinuity" (1969) examined the implications and observed the change from an 'economy of goods' into 'a knowledge economy' based around knowledge workers – men and women who apply to productive work ideas, concepts and information rather than manual skill or brawn. Drucker identified the healthcare sector along with the information industry as requiring skills founded on knowledge. Drucker states in 'Managing for the Future' that 'in knowledge and service work, partnership with the responsible workers is the only way; nothing else will work at all.'
Drucker notes that the real knowledge worker realizes and rightly so that the organisation equally depends on him / her.
In 'Managing the Future' he said that "the workers' knowledge of their job is the starting point for improving productivity, quality and performance altogether.'
"Knowledge people and service people learn the most when they teach. The best way to improve the productivity of the star salesperson is for him to present 'The secrets of my success'. It is often said that in the information age every enterprise has to be come a learning institution. It also has to become a teaching institution.
'The New Realities'
Philip Sadler in 1993 in 'Managing Talent' differentiated between talent and knowledge. Knowledge of course is freely available and accessible to all. Talent he argues is the only true scarce remaining resource and therefore the true source of competitive advantage. Many talented workers and highly individualistic, while hierarchical corporations would prefer to minimize rather than encourage individuality.
|