The Rise of the Knowledge Worker

Working Smarter Works

During the industrial revolution, workers — including young children — would spend as many as eighteen hours working the factories in a given day.  If injured, they were either ignored (if they could still complete the job) or tossed out (if they couldn't).  Their job, after all, was little more than using that reptilian part of their brain; they pulled a lever and made sure there were no obvious problems.

Modern workers are different.  As time has progressed, it's become less about how much you work, and far more about how much you get done — and what the chain of consequences thereafter is.  It's not enough to pull a lever and make sure nothing's on fire: our workers are expected to make smart decisions that benefit the company.

While this idea has existed conceptually for a long time, it wasn't until the rise of modern technology that knowledge workers really hit their stride.  The ability to use computers to store and learn information, check facts, and get involved in complex systems using only software has made it possible for knowledge workers to accomplish a huge array of tasks from a single work station.

The key, then, is supporting your knowledge workers.  There are three key ways you can do this:

• Train them.  Knowledge is sometimes gained through personal initiative, but don't rely on it.  Provide training in your standard work schedule.
  
• Provide systems.  There are plenty of data organization systems, and many have a variety of built-in communication tools that make knowledge work more efficient.  Use those systems!
  
• Streamline data.  Rather than having your workers burn all their time sorting through data, provide effective reports — including, when possible, visually rich presentations.  This can be done best through business intelligence dashboards.

If you're ready to take these three steps to the next level, or if you want any other SharePoint consulting, just visit the SharePoint Engine website to get started on your project today.