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1、Knowledge workers information needs vary. The key to better productivity is applying technology more precisely.Rethinking knowledge work: A strategic approachIn the half-century since Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge workers,” their share of the workforce has steadily grownand so has the ran
2、ge of technology tools aimed at boosting their productivity. Yet theres little evidence that massive spending on personal computing, productivity software, knowledge-management systems, and much else has moved the needle. Whats more, a wide variety of recent research has begun suggesting that always
3、-on, multitasking work environments are so distracting that they are sapping productivity. (For more on this problem, see “Recovering from information overload,” on .)After researching the productivity of knowledge workers for years, Ive concluded that organizations need a radically different approa
4、ch. Yes, technology is a vital enabler of communication, of collaboration, and of access to rising volumes of information. But least-common-denominator approaches involving more technology for all have reached a point of diminishing returns. Its time for companies to develop a strategy for knowledge
5、 workone that not only provides a clearer view of the types of information that workers need to do their jobs but also recognizes that the application of technology across the organization must vary considerably, according to the tasks different knowledge workers perform.Few executives realize that
6、there are two divergent paths for improving access to the information that lies at the core of knowledge work. Thomas H. DavenportF E B R UA R Y 2 0112February 2011The most common approach, giving knowledge workers free access to a wide variety of tools and information resources, presumes that these
7、 employees will determine their own work processes and needs. The other, the structured provision of information and knowledge, involves delivering them to employees within a well-defined context of tasks and deliverables. Computers send batches of work to employees and provide the information neede
8、d to do it.Both the free-access and structured-provisioning approaches are in wide use, but they make radically different assumptions about how knowledge work should be performed and its productivity improved. Executives who arent conscious of the trade-offs they are making between them and thus don
9、t look for opportunities to harness the power of structure probably wont get the most from knowledge workers.Equally important, leaders must pursue IT and productivity opportu- nities at the right level of granularity. While it might be tempting to think that a given approach will work well for an e
10、ntire organization, reality is rarely so tidy. In my experience, the unit of analysis should be particular jobs and rolesor at least distinct categories of jobs and roles. To move the needle in a specific business unit or function, its not enough to launch a set of company-wide initiatives or to cou
11、nt on a piece of software. Instead, leaders of knowledge workers should understand the key differences among them and tailor solutions to these peculiarities.The free-access approachOver the past two decades, giving knowledge workers free access to information and knowledge has been the primary way
12、of arming them to do their jobs. The rise of the Internet, the establishment of organi- zational knowledge-management systems, and, most recently, the advent of social media provide knowledge workers with a vast array of infor- mation from public and private sources. More analytically focused knowl-
13、 edge workers may also draw upon warehouses of structured data and quantitative-analysis tools.In this model, knowledge workers define and integrate their own infor- mation environments. The free-access approach has been particularly common among autonomous knowledge workers with high expertise: att
14、orneys, investment bankers, marketers, product designers, profes- sors, scientists, and senior executives, for example. Their work activities 3are seen as too variable or even idiosyncratic to be modeled or structured with a defined process. Their need for access to IT sourcesranging from the Intern
15、et to various online databases and social media to work tools such as e-mail, spreadsheets, presentation tools, and more com- plex business intelligence analyticsis presumed to be equally eclectic and unpredictable. With an increasingly porous technology barrier between personal lives and jobs, thes
16、e employees can often be found doing paid work from home and tending to their personal affairs in the office.In the free-access model, the presumption is that knowledge workers, as experts, know what information is available and can search for and manage it themselves. Its also assumed that they have the discipline to avoid wasting time surfing the Web or watching pornography, sports, or funny YouTube videos at work. Of course, these as
