The difference between knowledge and skills workers
It goes without saying that we currently live in an era dominated by the “knowledge worker”, as opposed to manual labour or those who use skills as their primary contribution. There is a fundamental difference between these two distinct types of workers. It is not only that one is slightly more labour intensive than the other (skills based workers can spend a lot of their time providing services, and knowledge workers do occasionally do some manual work) – the distinction is one of substance and form.
People who rely on skills for their livelihood have a much greater window of utility from their development – skills change very, very slowly over time, and skills-based workers do not need to panic about keeping up to date. Skills changes are fairly easy to identify and quantify. Investment in reasonably regular updates will suffice. Of course, some personal development is necessary, but over a work lifetime, it is unlikely that they will need to do much more than keep up with slow incremental changes in their skillset.
Knowledge, on the other hand, changes itself. Knowledge workers have to work much harder to keep up. In fact, Peter Drucker suggests that every 4 years, knowledge workers should do some additional studies. In fact, a fairly regular basis throughout a knowledge worker’s life, it will probably be necessary to completely reinvent oneself. Not just “retrain” or “revitalise”, but actually reinvent. In a 50-60 knowledge worker working lifespan, this may be necessary 3 or more times. Especially if you happen to live through a “tipping point” period of history, such as the one we’re living in right now.
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A fantastic topic for conversation Graeme. I have an article here somewhere I must find so add to this discussion. Just last night I sat with a couple of people (older than myself) asking similar questions about whether they could see a world that emerged so quickly that older people would be made redundant almost over night? I asked because of the article and then because of some work I did last week in a factory in which managers where being torn apart on the inside as they moved older workers on who couldn’t adapt quickly enough to the new technology and new skill sets required. People who had spent their lives in this one factory, who were now being moved sideways and soon out, because of an inability to learn fast enough.
I was part of a conversation the other night in which a good friend stated that at age 52 he was going back to study – to further educate himself in the tax area. Great example and a reminder that learning is now life-long and not something you did before ‘getting a job’. My eldest son has just walked in and recalled a conversation he had last night with a mate. This friend is almost in panic mode because he doesn’t want to go ‘to work and wear a tie every day’ (he has just had a fantastic offer to do his articles with a big firm). “I’m too young for that” he said. He has many offers on the table including playing rugby with the Sharks (some might well comment that that is not much of an offer!), a current (well paying job)- given that he is still a student, to returning for another stint overseas. A ‘Bright Young Thing’ if ever there was one…mind you, I guess my 52 year old friend could also qualify a a Bright ‘Young’ Thing!
Hi Nuf Sed – Have you found that article yet? I’ve never seen emotions run so high as people discussing retrenchments in a company (any company) that has “People Matter” as one of their values. Contentious to say the least.