The labor in an economy can be of various natures depending on the type. In a knowledge economy, the knowledge workers have a unique nature of labor. Knowing the types of labor and the skills required for obtaining a job in a knowledge economy is important because the future of economies lies in the knowledge domain.
Knowledge workers are employees who have to think for a living. They differ from information, skilled, and task workers and they need to strategize work activities and plan the course of action to complete the tasks. Task workers, information workers, and skilled workers work under knowledge workers according to the plans prepared by the knowledge worker. Therefore, the knowledge workers are of prime importance as they lead the team of workers who shape a plan designed by the knowledge workers.
Knowledge workers depend on mental abilities to perform the task instead of physical labor. Although a little physical labor is present in the duties of knowledge workers too, they are very limited and often performed by the workers working under the knowledge workers.
Although all types of jobs require knowledge to some degree, there are some jobs where most of the duties of the workers are related to knowledge or information. Some of these professions are as follows.
The researchers need to rely heavily on their knowledge in order to engage in Research and development activities. They have a certain amount of knowledge in possession and they apply that knowledge to bring about newer inventions and discoveries that promote further use of knowledge.
The information technology consultants have superior knowledge in the IT domain and they use this knowledge to solve problems for their clients. Some specialty areas for IT consultants are cybersecurity, the Internet of things (IoT), and computer hardware and software.
Although physicians also fall into the skilled labor category, they also need to think and apply their knowledge about human health to offer well-thought-out decisions that help patients get rid of diseases and disorders.
Financial analysts work on budgets, capital investment decisions, forecasting, and finding loopholes in financial matters. They advise corporate and individuals about the well-being of the company and personal finance depending on their knowledge of finance.
Pharmacists have wilder knowledge of drugs, and prescription analysis and they help patients to teach them when and how to take medicines for the best results. They also need to communicate with physicians, check the medicine stock, and work with pharmacy technicians in order to complete their duties.
Construction managers apply their knowledge of construction in big construction projects. They set the deadline of projects and distribute the budget evenly over the course of time required to complete the project. Construction managers also oversee workers who look for professional and practical suggestions to avoid mishaps, wastage of resources, and conflicting schedules.
Marketing consultants have deep knowledge of markets and they help clients in setting marketing plans and campaigns by using their knowledge.
Like all other types of economies, the knowledge economy also relies on some specific and valuable skills. These skills help the knowledge workers perform their duties efficiently.
The most valuable skills in the knowledge economy are as follows:
Management: Knowledge workers need to oversee and manage departments and teams so that the projects are completed successfully in time.
Training: The knowledge workers may need to train team members on newer technologies or techniques so that the team member can work effectively.
Strategizing: Knowledge workers need to strategize plans in order to complete the projects in time. Strategy is also important to manage the workforce to act at its optimum.
Monitoring: Monitoring is needed for implementing the plans and to make sure everything is going according to the planning process.
Delegation: Knowledge workers may need to delegate work among group members to complete the tasks within the deadline efficiently.
Acting as a resource: The knowledge workers should act as a resource for the team to ask questions, address the issues raised by workers, and confirm a particular task.
Research: Research is necessary to find the best methods, technologies, techniques, and ingredients for a project. Knowledge workers must have superior research skills to direct projects in the most favorable direction.
Analysis: An analysis is required to check whether the tasks are getting completed with optimum quality and see if changes are required. Knowledge workers need to analyze data to conform with their decisions and verify the progress made in a project.
Brainstorming: Knowledge workers must brainstorm to solve issues that act as bottlenecks for team members.
Networking: Knowledge workers must be able to network with co-workers to address the problems, find solutions and act as a cohesive team that works for the same goals.
Checking the trends: Knowledge workers must be able to identify trends so that the marketing process is aligned to the best conforming standards.
In order to reach the peak of efficiency, knowledge workers need to have some skills. These skills may be related to the profession or personality of the worker. These skills can be divided into the following categories.
Teamwork: Knowledge workers must be able to work in a team to share the responsibilities and the best results as they often need to work in groups.
Leadership: Knowledge workers must be good in leadership as they need to offer good advice, analyze the work of others, brainstorm ideas, and seek professional ideas from other team members.
Interpersonal Communication: Interpersonal communication of good knowledge workers must be a priority. As the knowledge workers need to convey information via training, strategizing, delegation, and analysis in a team, communication must be unavoidably good for the knowledge workers.
Problem-Solving: Knowledge workers must be efficient problem-solvers because they often need to find solutions to newer issues and problems. For this purpose, the knowledge of the workers must be solid in their chosen domains.
Project Management: Project management is required because knowledge workers have to assign roles, establish deadlines, highlight the end goals, and monitor projects. Without project management knowledge such duties cannot be completed.
Information Management: Knowledge workers must manage information of various types in order to advise or assign specific duties and documents to the necessary individual or teams.
Strategic Thinking: Strategic thinking is required to organize the goals and visualize solutions. Without this, a knowledge worker cannot fulfil his duties.
With the growing demand for a knowledge economy, the demand for knowledge workers is increasing rapidly. Therefore, the potential employment-seekers must realize the need of the hour and capitalize on the opportunity to find better jobs and fulfil their career objectives by becoming knowledge workers.
1. Can knowledge workers work in multiple roles?
Ans. Yes. Some qualifications allow knowledge workers to work in multiple roles.
For example, a financial analyst may work as a manager as well as a consultant.
2. What is the force behind the growing need for knowledge workers?
Ans. The need for knowledge workers is growing due to globalization. As organizations now participate and operate in many economies, knowledge is now a resource that can be used in place of capital. This has propelled the need for knowledge workers magnificently.
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