Examine the claim that the management of knowledge workers requires the development of human resource practices that are more suited to the particular characteristics of these workers and their jobs
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INTRODUCTION
The subject of managing knowledge workers and knowledge management has drawn attention of researchers and practitioners in the recent times considering the implementation of knowledge management systems in human resource practices. Managing knowledge controls the know-how of workers in companies in the course of forming, gathering and circulating knowledge all the way through the companies organisational set-up. Managing knowledge depends largely on skilled workers and takes out tacit knowledge from them, apart from other linked practices. Managing knowledge may well thrives whilst it might depend on workers to carve up their knowledge for the betterment of the performance, although it pulls away from the control bottom of the workers. For ensuring workers to experience secure in sharing their knowledge, the management in companies necessitates to have the accurate background and the true workers care. Consequently, in the contemporary companies management of knowledge workers truly is the key concern for human resources practices. This turns out to be imperative to identify with the knowledge workers and their other linked characteristics so as to best manage them (Swart, 2008). In the light of these suppositions, this paper attempts to “examine the claim that the management of knowledge workers requires the development of human resource practices that are more suited to the particular characteristics of these workers and their jobs”. In order to address this issue and critically discuss the related aspects various theoretical models and best practices are discussed with reference to the accessible and relevant texts and journals. Informally the paper is structured into three sections. Firstly the issue of requiring knowledge workers is discussed, then managing the knowledge workers and finally developing human resource practices of managing the knowledge workers.
MAIN BODY
Knowledge is a significant resource in terms of both tangible and intangible components, and when it comes to knowledge management, an effective knowledge management is promising as a vital model that facilitates the whole resources of a company that includes knowledge to be utilized in real terms. A knowledge-management point of reference is to be found as a unique competence that holds up the formation of sustainable competitive benefits in the forms of innovation (Gamble, 2002). Companies with a knowledge-management oriented do better than those categorized as market oriented. More importantly, a market orientation is turning out to be a division of a knowledge management orientation. In fact, knowledge management has grown to be an imperative machination in settling forward in the competition among companies. Generally the operation of knowledge management in companies in undertaken in the course of various phases namely acquiring knowledge, codifying knowledge, disseminating knowledge, and development of knowledge and deploying knowledge (Dalkir, 2005). However, conducting the task of knowledge management in the course of these phases successfully is not an easy one, as the knowledge management managers in companies may come across with a number of tribulations. Nonetheless, in no way such tribulations hold in low esteem the importance of knowledge management for companies in the contemporary world of knowledge, as every strategy has perspectives and pitfalls. As a result, the focal point of running an unbeaten knowledge management for companies ought to monitoring and controlling the whole operational phases of knowledge management with focusing on core competencies and strategies.
Companies empowered by knowledge today are considered as knowledge oriented companies that have capability to put on competitive advantage considerably. Knowledge management processes in companies are therefore more and more turning out to be vital and companies are making considerable knowledge oriented investments in building up frameworks of managing knowledge. The principal focal point of several of these attempts is building up fresh deployment of technological advancements (Moffett, McAdam and Parkinson, 2003). Knowledge management system as well include a range of technology oriented steps in the forms the formation of databases of professionals and know-how outlining and the concentration of societal set-ups to support getting access to resources of non-collocated persons. Even as there is substantial vigor, investment and organizational movement to set up knowledge management processes, researchers and practitioners move up uncomfortable queries linked to the inadequate outset of what explicit tribulations these clarifications deal with in companies. In a framework of managing knowledge, keeping up a firm watercourse of offerings to substance, the information pour is an imperative concern. Accordingly a serious dilemma is one of motivation – motivating users to throw in (Nonaka and Toyama, 2003). This may well be more or less tricky in relation to the rank of forming of the substance in the knowledge management system. Whilst the knowledge substance is extremely prearranged, a great deal of attempt is necessary up front to make certain the fitting configurations of human resources. Even as this might come into view to be an easy, clear-cut assignment, solemn challenges of knowledge demonstration and problems of motivation might be real.
Motivation too is challenging since extra efforts and time indispensable for structuring offerings necessitate to be allocated apart from their ordinary job roles and human resources do not be acquainted with a priori if their text are later get back and utilised. This is not as much of a difficulty while the knowledge sources are insecurely structured on a continuing foundation (Swart, 2008). Partakers in an electronic conversation medium require just act in response whilst questions are raised. Given that response conduct is typically extremely noticeable in such mediums, participants might be very much motivated to give answers at whatever time probable in view of the fact that recurrent responses offer better visibility, producing an upper societal position. In the same way, models developed in such mediums might be an additional way to reduce overloading professionals (Nonaka and Toyama, 2003). Devoid of such hold up, domain experts might be unwilling to offer solutions since offering a solution would exert a pull on several succeeding challenges. Developing tools in knowledge management system will necessitate to shield experts would stimulate the practitioners or professionals to throw in since access to them may well be reserved just for challenging issues to which earlier solutions are out of stock. This is an interesting and relevant vicinity of research in knowledge management system.
When it comes to success factors of knowledge management, the design of teams and knowledge sharing ought to be comprehensive to take account of every one of aspects in the organization. The knowledge management structure organization is self-possessed of information clusters that are made of know-how grouping that are formed from well informed staff chosen for contribution on informed grouping because of their implicit know-how and expertise. If at all possible, the informed individuals on any knowledge oriented grouping moves toward from diverse managerial upbringings and tend to carry an assortment of implicit information and expertise to the side. Implementation of a fresh framework of the organization in the form of informed group or decision-making tactic in the form of knowledge culture countenances conflict inside the organization. Conflict to transform might well be diminished through decreasing the acuity of transformation for the stakeholders (Johnson, 2006). To begin with, the team oriented framework of managing knowledge may well be allied to an offered hierarchical structure of management through arranging in a line the knowledge teams with the accessible practical vicinities of the organization in the forms of accounting, marketing, production, and research comparable to the design of areas of operation. Teams of knowledge or transitional factions of knowledge groups are after that associated with the sub-divisions inside every serviceable area for a successful knowledge management system in a company.
The new emerged state of affairs led by knowledge workers has had fundamentally changed the all-purpose situation for developing human resource practices. Now human resource management strategy is not only restricted to time-hounoured common practices for the operational needs of the firm, instead developing human resource strategy today is recognized as such practices that are indispensable for organizational and business success of firms. Such performance today is measured in terms of competitive performance rather than general performance (Legge, 2005). The importance of developing human resource in the new environment has significantly drawn the attention of researchers and practitioners in recent times. They have recognized the importance of developing human resource in firms from the perspective of resource and which take human resources as indespensible and decisive for general and competitive organizational performance of a firm In this context, there is marked that expatriates or highly practiced international practitioners in human resource department of firms, where the knowledge and skills of such practitioners are considered as crucial for the recognition of business strategies. Moreover, in today’s globalised global business environment, one of the foremost quandaries is the dearth of highly skilled and motivated human resources as human capital. They propose up-to-the-minute approaches for international managers to draw from a bigger and accordingly more varied human resource team, where more and more female practitioners in human resource department of firms is the illustration to broaden and build up the utilization of accessible human resources and to extend up-to-the-minute human resource strategies and practices in cross-cultural perspective (Thom and Zaugg, 2004). In order to have more specific explorations in this context studies require to be conducted revolving around the recognition of competitive performance of human resource management strategy in culturally diverse and technological advanced organizational environment, where the focus ought to be on comparing and contrasting the fundamental value orientations and the discernment in relation to decisions taken for the short and long period separately. More importantly, for achieving long-term positive results of human resource management strategy practices for firms in international and highly competitive high-tech environment, there is urgency of conducting more and more empirical studies using both qualitative and quantitative study methods. In this context, in order to solve multifaceted problem statement in relation to study subject of competitive organizational and business performance in globalised and technological advanced or high-tech environment.
During the twentieth century industrial economy human resource was just one of the usable divisions in companies, but today in the twenty second century knowledge economy it has developed into a foremost source of sustainable competitive advantage. Human resource management roles have turned from traditional roles to complex transformational ones. Traditional human resource practices have had been revolved around managing human resource roles such as selection, compensation, and performance appraisal, as has been discussed previously, but the transformational human resource practices are the activities of a company that add value, which is better acknowledged as strategic goal for the company. Consequently, transformational activities augment the strategic significance and visibility of the human resource role in the company. The emerged knowledge economy has facilitated the fruition of human resource management knotted with advancements in knowledge systems and now knowledge led information technology systems are expected to play an ever-increasing role in the human resource management role (Delorme and Arcand, 2010). The use of information technology tools and techniques is found help out cut costs and cycle times with that of get better quality. Knowledge systems deployment may well aid management to plan and put into practice strategic decisions fast. More importantly, information technology is solitary an apparatus and might just set off, not stand-in for, the individuals who make use of it. By means of the rising use of knowledge tools in human resource management planning and execution, the mode personnel and staff in companies look at the environment and role of human resource managers itself could transform (Burbach and Dundon, 2005). The point is that in the contemporary competitive and fast changing business environment companies necessitate to put together the activities of every functional branch whilst keeping the clients at the centre of strategy, where knowledge workers has a vital role to play. In this context, efficient and effectual knowledge systems may endow human resource department of the generating precise and well-timed employee information to accomplish the goals of managing knowledge workers.
The well-organized and efficient human resource management and the utilization of established and confirmed such practices in various human resource practices such as job design, recruitment, selection and orientation, performance management, compensation, training and development may well aid the companies and their managers to build circumstances for competent and successful management of workers and their knowledge in the companies (Johnson, 2006). Considering well-organized and efficient management of workers and their knowledge in the company, it is imperative to assess real altitude of workers’ knowledge, expertise, aptitudes and skill indispensable for flourishing performance in the job with that of the workers’ capability and readiness to collaborate, communicate and recognize the chosen and joint formation, sharing and utilization of knowledge (Swart, 2008).
CONCLUSION
To sum up, companies with a knowledge-management oriented do better than those categorized as market oriented. More importantly, a market orientation is turning out to be a division of a knowledge management orientation. In fact, knowledge management has grown to be an imperative machination in settling forward in the competition among companies. Companies empowered by knowledge today are considered as knowledge oriented companies that have capability to put on competitive advantage considerably. Knowledge management processes in companies are therefore more and more turning out to be vital and companies are making considerable knowledge oriented investments in building up structures of managing knowledge. The team oriented framework of managing knowledge may well be allied to an offered hierarchical structure of management through arranging in a line the knowledge teams with the accessible practical vicinities of the organization in the forms of accounting, marketing, production, and research comparable to the design of areas of operation. Teams of knowledge or transitional factions of knowledge groups are after that associated with the sub-divisions inside every serviceable area for a successful knowledge management system in a company. For achieving long-term positive results of human resource management strategy practices for firms in international and highly competitive high-tech environment, there is urgency of conducting more and more empirical studies using both qualitative and quantitative study methods. In this context, in order to solve multifaceted problem statement in relation to study subject of competitive organizational and business performance in globalised and technological advanced or high-tech environment. Successful human resource management and the utilization of established and confirmed such practices in various human resource practices such as job design, recruitment, selection and orientation, performance management, compensation, training and development may well aid the companies and their managers to build circumstances for competent and successful management of workers and their knowledge in the companies. In today’s globalised global business environment, one of the foremost quandaries is the dearth of highly skilled and motivated human resources as human capital. They propose up-to-the-minute approaches for international managers to draw from a bigger and accordingly more varied human resource team, where more and more female practitioners in human resource department of firms is the illustration to broaden and build up the utilization of accessible human resources and to extend up-to-the-minute human resource strategies and practices in cross-cultural perspective Therefore it is imperative to assess real altitude of workers’ knowledge, expertise, aptitudes and skill indispensable for flourishing performance in the job with that of the workers’ capability and readiness to collaborate, communicate and recognize the chosen and joint formation, sharing and utilization of knowledge at various levels human resource management practices.
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