Knowledge Workers as Craft Workers
On Friday I was musing on the idea of knowledge workers as artists. Related to this, in a comment on a previous post, Brett Miller pointed me to a post on his own blog, where he asks what we can do to apply an apprenticeship model to knowledge workers. This, in turn, sent me a wonderful article by Jim McGee on knowledge workers as craft workers. Writes Jim:
Curiously, most of the discussion around knowledge management is decidedly industrial in flavor. How do we reuse knowledge assets more broadly in the organization? How do we raise the standard of practice in the organization to that of the best units? Standardization and reproducibility have been the watchwords of the industrial economy. Shouldn’t they also be the watchwords for the knowledge economy?
There is a dangerous tension between industrial frameworks and knowledge work as craft work that needs to be managed. Forcing industrial models onto the management of knowledge and knowledge work accounts for much of the disappointing results of knowledge management efforts to date. Harking back to some idealized pre-industrial craft world is likely to be equally disappointing. Designing a synthesis that recognizes the essential features of the knowledge economy is the challenge at hand.
What we need, says Jim, is transparency in our work processes, a sort of cognitive apprenticeship model that makes our thinking and production processes more visible to others. Managing knowledge is not simply a matter of sharing knowledge objects. It’s about sharing multiple layers of thought, making each iteration of what we produce visible to ourselves and to others as a way to further develop our thinking. This allows us to return to earlier versions of ideas and to backtrack and re-evaluate what we do.
This actually opens up a couple of lines of thinking for me that deserve more investigation–how do we better use social media to make knowledge work more transparent and how can we create cognitive apprenticeships to support the development of knowledge workers (which is Brett’s original question)?
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June 23rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
this actually opens up a couple of lines of thinking for me that deserve more investigation–how do we better use social media to make knowledge work more transparent and how can we create cognitive apprenticeships to support the development of knowledge workers ..?
To my mind, this points the way to recognizing the necessity of engaging a more creative and associative process for knowledge management. Beyond the confines of regurgitation.
Reflection, association, application, abstraction, and then discussion…and the cycle begins again.
Is this pie in the sky? I don’t think so. If it is, then how about apple with pear and ginger?
June 24th, 2008 at 5:04 am
I like the idea of the craft worker. I don’t know why every professional claims to be artitst only because they do a good job. I heard several talks about the art of programming. Sticking to rules and fulfilling targets is nothing artful.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Suzanne, I don’t think this is pie in the sky at all–we do need to find more creative and associative processes for engaging people and making their knowledge more transparent. And Herr VoB, craft worker may be the better analogy for knowledge workers, although I do think that there can be a certain amount of artistry in programming too.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
[...] Skills and New Know-How After reading Michele Martin’s post, Knowledge Workers as Craft Workers, I began to think of other crafts and skills that have been changed by [...]
June 25th, 2008 at 10:43 am
As I’m thinking about this, I’m pretty sure that there are parts of the “craft” that can be learned using methods other than apprenticeship, etc. The problem with calling to mind the apprentice model is that people think of it as being highly dependent on the mentor/teacher. There’s no uniformity.
I agree that the old industrial model doesn’t really apply to knowledge work because it’s highly personal, but I also feel that there’s a need to help build a foundation of knowledge of methods for knowledge work that applies across different types of knowledge work. Yes, there will need to be other kinds of learning beyond this baseline. But, that doesn’t free us from understanding and helping to explore the baseline.
June 25th, 2008 at 10:55 am
What is helpful to me about the apprenticeship idea is that it leads me to the need to make practices more explicit and transparent and for learning to be more contextual and informal. I think that technology actually enables us to create forms of cognitive apprenticeship that allow us to codify some methods. For example, in the traditional model, you would have to physically watch an “expert” perform a specific task. However with technology, we could, for example, record screencasts, podcasts, videos, etc. that collect process information in a way that allows us to re-purpose and codify the knowledge.
One idea that I’ve had for awhile is that it would be helpful for those of us who have more expertise in using social media to record screencasts of how we do certain things–a sort of “thinking out loud” of various processes. This not only provides models for less experienced people to explore, but it also allows us to look across “experts” to identify those skills and activities that seem consistent. That then gives us that baseline to further understand and explore what’s going on.
June 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Great point Michele! Distributed, leveraged apprenticeship. That actually makes a lot of sense.
I would only add that there’s a two way conversation in most apprentice - mentor/teacher relationships. Part of what the mentor does is identify what is needed on the part of the apprentice.
For knowledge workers, a big part of the challenge today is that they don’t recognize where they have gaps. Early adopters are often able to make the leap from seeing something new to how it fits into their work. The early majority is willing to adopt proven techniques, but most often need someone to show them how it fits into their daily practice.
Conclusion - I definitely agree with showing people how it can be done - and we need to put it in a context of common knowledge work activities.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
[...] Vinall-Cox’s post Old Skills and New Know-How, a response to Michele Martin’s post Knowledge Workers as Craft Workers (which, as it turns out, is based on a comment I left to another of Michele’s posts), [...]
June 25th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Tony,
In your first comment here (10:43 am), you state “I also feel that there’s a need to help build a foundation of knowledge of methods for knowledge work that applies across different types of knowledge work.” I agree with you wholeheartedly here, though I might take it a step further and say that what we need is a foundation of “Life Literacy” on which to build an effective “Work Literacy.”
“Life” is nothing if not the most basic of knowledge work. In today’s world, it takes a lot to become “literate” in the way the world works, from understanding credit and debit cards to getting your kids into a good college to properly configuring and securing your home PC.
And yet, many people are “life illiterate”. Credit problems are rampant, many kids get to college age only to find out they didn’t start preparing for that “good” college soon enough, and most people outside the computer industry don’t even think about proper configuration and security for their PCs or their information.
The “foundation of knowledge of methods for knowledge work” is indeed sorely needed.
June 26th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Brett - funny you mention that because I’m working on aspects of that problem in another context. Definitely a lot of people miss out on that literacy. They don’t make conscious decisions about life. It’s a really interesting project. Wish I could say more.
In terms of Work Literacy, if you look at your roles in life - parent, soccer coach, vacation planner, etc. - you find that a lot of these are forms of knowledge work as well. So, there’s definite cross over with life literacy. But, we are trying to keep things focused on the workplace - that’s a big enough problem as it is.
June 26th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Tony,
I was thinking of the question from the standpoint of, “Is there a common ground that all knowledge workers share that can be used as a starting point for developing Work Literacy skills?” To that question I think the answer is, “No, there’s not.”
Re-reading your comments, I realize that your whole point (I think) is that you want to figure out what that common ground should be and educate individuals on that as part of the overall work literacy concept. I was bemoaning the deficit, while you were looking for the answer.
As you can tell, I’ve already got some ideas, I’ll share in a future post. (Am also interested in hearing about your ongoing project, when you can share the details.)
June 30th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
[...] Tony Karrer’s comments to a recent post of mine that discussed the application of a craft work model to knowledge work got me thinking a bit more about the subject. I’ve also been thinking some about the one of the goals of the Work Literacy project, specifically to “help build a foundation of knowledge of methods for knowledge work” (as Tony wrote in comments to Michele’s post Knowledge Workers as Craft Workers). [...]
July 18th, 2008 at 9:48 am
[...] anche riportare l’intuizione di Michele Martin sull’idea che un lavoratore della conoscenza è non soltanto un artigiano, ma anche un vero e [...]