Knowledge workers need flexibility

By ADAM GIFFORD

The knowledge economy needs knowledge workers. But how do you recognise one, train or become one?

Those are some of the problems being tackled by Professor Ron Johnston, of the Australian Centre for Innovation and International Competitiveness, a keynote speaker at Toshiba's Expanding Horizons 2000 educators' conference in Auckland last week.

"Just about everyone is becoming a knowledge worker," he said in an interview. "In every activity we have to inject more knowledge to do it smarter and better."

Knowledge was different from information. While information could be reduced to digital format, knowledge only existed in intelligent systems - and for now, human beings were the only reliable working models of intelligent systems.

"You can codify knowledge and turn it into information, such as you get in a franchising manual or a CRM (customer relationship management) system," he said.

But even those systems needed people who could interpret the data in creative ways. He said knowledge workers needed to combine analysis skills and intuition.

"In any learning, people will pass through the obvious technical skills and arrive at more subtle skills. They need to be able to recognise patterns and irregularities. It's like seeing four pieces of a jigsaw and being able to see the whole picture.

"A knowledge worker has to be able to work collaboratively, so they must be able to develop trust and build up social capital. They must be able to communicate deeply, because they will be dealing with people who are different. That means being able to listen and translate."

He said changes in organisations and occupations were happening so quickly, people must develop considerable flexibility.

"People must be able to cope with ambiguity and uncertainty, so they must always be able to use judgment. They need to value complexity rather than simplicity because complexity gives more choice."

Professor Johnston said knowledge workers must be largely self-directed.

"They need to work to a logic of improvisation, not always assuming there is a 'right answer.' That often means following up the odd and unusual rather than what conforms to the standard data.

"These things are all different from the standard routine logic and formal learning we offer most of our kids. It's encouraging a higher level of self sufficiency and exposure to a range of experiences."

Professor Johnston said existing school systems are not meeting the needs of the knowledge economy.

"This is very different to the front-end education model of previous generations. Knowledge work involves lifelong learning and self-directed learning. One implication is we have to move education away from its emphasis on accreditation and assessment. There must be some degree of self assessment."

He said companies also have to be smarter about how they hire. "We're hearing of the skill shortage in the IT industry. Part of the problem is the industry is 80 per cent men and doesn't expect to employ people over 40, so it has already shrunk the labour pool."