Thinking for a Living: How to Get Better Performances and Results from Knowledge Workers

by Thomas H. Davenport

Book Overview

Knowledge workers create the innovations and strategies that keep their firms competitive and the economy healthy. Yet, companies continue to manage this new breed of employee with techniques designed for the Industrial Age. As this critical sector of the workforce continues to increase in size and importance, that's a mistake that could cost companies their future. Thomas Davenport argues that knowledge workers are vastly different from other types...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591394236
• ISBN13: 9781591394235
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.3" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Must-read if you have any Knowledge Workers in your company

Knowledge Workers are those people whose main professional output is Knowledge. Because all work requires some knowledge, the boundary can be arbitrary. So, depending on where you draw the line, Knowledge Workers represent ¼ to 1/3 of the labor force in the developed world. Doctors, lawyers, researchers, consultants, and computer programmers all share this trait. We saw (in Corporate Longitude by Leif Edvinsson and Intangibles by Baruch Lev) that the market value of all publicly traded companies exceeded the market value of their tangible assets sometime in the early 90's. This gap has grown ever since. We assume that Knowledge accumulated inside a company is responsible for a good part of this difference. Ergo, our Knowledge Workers represent a very important, if mostly intangible, asset. Because their main output is Knowledge, you can't quite measure what they are doing. If one of your best Knowledge Workers says she has her best ideas in the shower, you have no choice but to take her word for it. Knowledge Workers resist most controls on their quality and productivity. Sometimes this resistance is built into the rules of their professional associations (check out the rules and regulations of any legal or medical association and you'll witness this). Most Knowledge Workers hate bureaucracy and hierarchy. Some Knowledge Workers do not run on money: they prefer to be compensated with, for example, easier access to Knowledge. Trouble is, our management models have changed little since the Industrial Revolution, so they're uniquely inadequate for managing Knowledge Workers. In fact, because the person who manages Knowledge Workers is in most cases a Knowledge Worker him/herself, this suggests that the ideal management model for Knowledge Workers must contain a "Player/Coach" flavor. Enter Prof. Davenport, who has dedicated the past several years to the study of Knowledge Workers. This book distills most of what he has learned, and has a wealth of references to those who need more detail. Knowledge Workers cannot easily be grouped into one category. One important lesson throughout the book is that, when coming to grips with the Knowledge Workers inside your company, you must segment them into different groups. After all, because Knowledge can be invented, discovered, packaged, distributed, or consumed, each Knowledge Worker you deal with will be active in one or more, but rarely all, of these activities. Prof Davenport proposes a basic taxonomy for this, with two dimensions: the level of interdependence among Knowledge Workers, and the level of Complexity of the work itself. This in turn spawns four basic models: * Transaction Model (low interdependence, low complexity): The Knowledge Worker is essentially by him/herself and most of the situations he/she faces are repetitive. This is the only segment where "scripting" (ie, standard, pre-rehearsed speeches covering the most common situations) is effective. A good example of this is the 0800 custom

Insights on knowing your knowledge workers

This is a fine, occasionally frustrating book. It is frustrating for the same reason that it is so badly needed: business is just starting to figure out what it means to compete in a knowledge-based economy. Knowledge work is tremendously important, but only partially understood. This volume, which mixes practical advice with worksite studies, is a good stepping stone toward comprehending knowledge work and the people who accomplish it. Author Thomas H. Davenport is honest enough to admit what isn't known, however he delivers what is known clearly. He explains various organizational schema that are applicable, but not rigid. He provides examples, sharing personal and organizational stories that illustrate both success and failure in knowledge work. We warmly recommend this book to knowledge workers, those who manage knowledge workers and business leaders who are planning for the future.

Fresh Perspectives on Productivity

In a sense, everyone must "think for a living" in response to questions, problems, opportunities, etc. Davenport focuses his attention on "how to get better performance and results from knowledge workers" and I presume to suggest that everyone involved in an organization's operations should be or helped to become productive "knowledge workers," whatever their specific duties and responsibilities may be. Those who have read any of Davenport's previous books -- notably Working Knowledge and Information Ecology co-authored with Laurence Prusak, The Attention Economy co-authored with John Beck, What's the Big Idea?, Mission Critical -- already know that Davenport is among the most perceptive and eloquent business thinkers on the subject of knowledge management. In my opinion, Thinking for a Living is his most valuable contribution to that subject thus far. He carefully organizes his material within nine chapters. Throughout his lively and informative narrative, he responds to questions such as these: * "What's a knowledge worker, anyway?" * How do knowledge workers differ from others? * So what? * Which interventions, measures, and experiments in "knowledge work" are most effective? * Which are the most important knowledge work processes? * Which organizational technology is most appropriate to knowledge workers? * How to develop their individual capabilities? * What must be invested in knowledge workers' networks and learning? * Which physical work environment will help to maximize knowledge worker performance? * How best to manage knowledge workers? Of special interest to me is the matrix of four knowledge work types (illustrated in figure 2-1 on page 27) which Davenport identified during a research project on knowledge management in which he was involved with Jeanne Harris and Leigh Donaghue. He offers a classification structure for knowledge-intensive processes which range from individual actors to collaborative groups: Integration Model (e.g. systematic, repeatable work), Collaboration Model (e.g. improvisational work), Expert Model (e.g. Judgment-oriented work), and Transaction Model (e.g. routine work). Of course, different kinds of knowledge work require different kinds of knowledge workers. Effective managers are those who get the most appropriate worker in alignment with each task. As Davenport explains, "A job in which knowledge is created should be treated very differently from one in which it is applied." For example, "Those who find existing knowledge need to understand knowledge requirements, search for it among multiple sources, and pass it along to the requester or user." Other workers create new knowledge. Still others ("packagers") put together knowledge created by others. Knowledge workers can also be distinguished by the types of ideas with which they deal. "My view, however, is that the organizations that will be most successful in the future will be those in which it's everyone's job to be creating and u

A Must Read for Practitioners

As an organizational learning consultant and author myself, I found this book, Thinking for a Living, to be very helpful. Thomas Davenport has been a leader in the field of organizational learning (OL) for many years. I think this is his best contribution to the field since his co-authored book, Working Knowledge, in 1996. Everybody knows the U.S. is now a knowledge-based economy and that the future of most companies rests upon their knowledge workers. Dr. Davenport suggests a different management style for this new breed of workers. The Industrial Age management style is no longer effective. Davenport's work, as always, is based upon solid research. For this book, his research included one hundred companies and more than 600 knowledge workers. Chapter 1 sets the context and offers practical definitions. Chapter 2 looks at how knowledge workers are different from other workers. Davenport also offers his model of four types of knowledge work: transaction, integration, expert, and collaboartion. This is a very helpful chapter. Chapter 3 offers suggestions on how to motivate knowledge workers, and how to measure their work. Chapter 4 looks at knowledge work processes. Davenport comments about knowledge workers and re-engineering are especially relevant to today's companies. Chapter 5 discusses the technological tools needed by knowledge workers. Chapter 6 looks at the behaviors and attitudes of effective knowledge workers. Chapter 7 covers development of knowledge workers. How to us personal and professional networks was especially interesting. Chapter 8 discusses physical space in a very pramatic way. Some of Davenport's insight here are quite valuable. Chapter 9 ties togther multiple issues that all knowledge workers and managers must consider. Davenport's insights into redesigning, improving, and the boundary expanding nature of knowledge work are important considerations for all practitioners. This book is an outstanding contribution to the field. I recommend it in addition to my own book. Michael Beitler, Ph.D. Author of "Strategic Organizational Learning"

If you have knowledge workers you need this book

Knowledge worker is a term that is used loosely among executives and consultants alike. Everyone wants to be a knowledge worker or already is one, but few understand who they are, what they mean to the company and how do you manage them. Davenports Thinking for a Living is the best discussion of these central issues. Davenport was co-author of Working Knowledge and the first half of that book is the clearest statement of knowledge management I have yet to read. Building on that work, Davenport offers practical advice backed by research and an understanding of what it takes to work in a knowledge environment. Davenport gives managers and leaders a set of tools to understand the different types of knowledge work and the management techniques to manage each. That recognition makes this a must read for every company. In terms of the chapters: Chapter 1: What is a knowledge worker anyway? Sets the context and provides practical definitions for the subject. This chapter is a little academic, but it does set a firm foundation for the rest of the book. Chapter 2: How knowledge workers differ and the difference it makes. This chapter goes beyond routine descriptions of knowledge work to talk about four models of knowledge work: Transaction, Integration, Expert and Collaboration. This model is used through the latter chapters to help the reader understand and take action. Chapter 3: Interventions, measures and experiments in knowledge work. This chapter tackles the hardest issues of managing knowledge workers -- how you motivate and measure people who work with their mind and their experience. Here, rather than offer theory, Davenport offers some practical and actionable advice on a tough subject. Chapter 4: Knowledge work processes. This chapter makes the point that knowledge work is not readily re-engineered and requires a more sophisticated approach. If you are a knowledge worker facing the threat of re-engineering this is a great chapter to explain to the re-engineers what they need to do and more importantly what they should not try to do. Chapter 5: Organizational technology for knowledge workers discusses the issue of IT and knowledge work which is an area fraught with hype and misinformation. Davenport discusses the types of technology tools knowledge managers need and what they do with them. Chapter 6: Developing individual knowledge worker capabilities is for the knowledge worker and what they need to hone their skills and develop their careers. The list of behaviors and attitudes associated with effective knowledge workers in this chapter is very helpful. Chapter 7: Investing in Knowledge workers networks and learning is the company response to how to build better knowledge workers. It discusses the personal, professional and other networks that lead to knowledge application, creation and improvement. Chapter 8: The physical work environment and knowledge worker performance provides pragmatic advice on how to set up