The Next Workforce
Over the next several decades, the continuing rise of so-called knowledge workers - especially "knowledge technologists" - will have an enormous impact on people management trends, according to renowned management philosopher Peter Drucker.
Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" about 40 years ago, but only now are we approaching the era when such workers become the dominant factor in the labor force. In the November 3, 2001, edition of The Economist magazine, Drucker notes the term is commonly applied to people with a good deal of theoretical knowledge: doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Yet, the most striking future growth of knowledge workers will be in the subset he refers to as knowledge technologists. These people work with their hands as much as their heads, but their positions require a good deal of theoretical knowledge that's acquired through formal education. They are neither blue- collar nor white-collar, which is why some business writers have dubbed them "gold-collar," a term signifying their importance to today's industries and to the economy as a whole. They include people with such job titles as computer technician, manufacturing technologist, ultrasound specialist, and clinical lab analyst.
"Within two or three decades," Drucker writes, "knowledge technologists will become the dominant group in the workforce in all developed countries, occupying the same position that unionized factory workers held at the peak of their power in the 1950s and 1960s." In part, such dominance will rest on sheer numbers, with knowledge workers overall making up nearly 40% of the workforce among wealthy nations 20 years from now.
Yet, their influence will also be due to their workplace characteristics and attitudes. For one thing, knowledge workers of all stripes tend to identify themselves as professionals rather than just employees, even if some of their job activities include unskilled work. Their allegiance is less likely to be to organizations than to their specialized branch of knowledge. This will make it tough - and perhaps impossible - for employers to restore an old-fashioned sense of company loyalty to the workforce.
But one method of motivating such workers may be to provide them with training and other opportunities to develop their skills. After all, such workers will be in need of constant education because technical knowledge - which tends to quickly become obsolete - is their portable stock-in-trade. Continuing education will become increasingly important, whether it be delivered via weekend seminars, home computers or traditional universities.
Employers will also need to understand the emotional underpinnings of knowledge workers. Such employees tend to view themselves as living in a meritocracy founded on education and performance. They have little patience for discriminatory work behaviors, believing they are as upwardly mobile as their skills and talents can take them. But they pay a high psychological and emotional price for this upward mobility, claims Drucker. They're forced to always compete against one another, to constantly absorb new knowledge in their quest to avoid professional and personal failure. They always seem busy. Even the children in a knowledge-based society are constantly pressured to compete and perform better, as are the schools they attend.
The rise of knowledge work also means that more people can continue to work, at least part time, well past the conventional age of retirement. Drucker notes that many employees already take an early retirement as soon as they're able but then embark on second careers. Although knowledge workers are still a minority among people now reaching 50 or 55, they'll be a very large portion of the over-50 crowd in three decades. Drucker believes that companies will come under growing pressure to attract, retain and accommodate knowledge workers who have reached official retirement age.
Drucker coined the term "knowledge worker" about 40 years ago, but only now are we approaching the era when such workers become the dominant factor in the labor force. In the November 3, 2001, edition of The Economist magazine, Drucker notes the term is commonly applied to people with a good deal of theoretical knowledge: doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. Yet, the most striking future growth of knowledge workers will be in the subset he refers to as knowledge technologists. These people work with their hands as much as their heads, but their positions require a good deal of theoretical knowledge that's acquired through formal education. They are neither blue- collar nor white-collar, which is why some business writers have dubbed them "gold-collar," a term signifying their importance to today's industries and to the economy as a whole. They include people with such job titles as computer technician, manufacturing technologist, ultrasound specialist, and clinical lab analyst.
"Within two or three decades," Drucker writes, "knowledge technologists will become the dominant group in the workforce in all developed countries, occupying the same position that unionized factory workers held at the peak of their power in the 1950s and 1960s." In part, such dominance will rest on sheer numbers, with knowledge workers overall making up nearly 40% of the workforce among wealthy nations 20 years from now.
Yet, their influence will also be due to their workplace characteristics and attitudes. For one thing, knowledge workers of all stripes tend to identify themselves as professionals rather than just employees, even if some of their job activities include unskilled work. Their allegiance is less likely to be to organizations than to their specialized branch of knowledge. This will make it tough - and perhaps impossible - for employers to restore an old-fashioned sense of company loyalty to the workforce.
But one method of motivating such workers may be to provide them with training and other opportunities to develop their skills. After all, such workers will be in need of constant education because technical knowledge - which tends to quickly become obsolete - is their portable stock-in-trade. Continuing education will become increasingly important, whether it be delivered via weekend seminars, home computers or traditional universities.
Employers will also need to understand the emotional underpinnings of knowledge workers. Such employees tend to view themselves as living in a meritocracy founded on education and performance. They have little patience for discriminatory work behaviors, believing they are as upwardly mobile as their skills and talents can take them. But they pay a high psychological and emotional price for this upward mobility, claims Drucker. They're forced to always compete against one another, to constantly absorb new knowledge in their quest to avoid professional and personal failure. They always seem busy. Even the children in a knowledge-based society are constantly pressured to compete and perform better, as are the schools they attend.
The rise of knowledge work also means that more people can continue to work, at least part time, well past the conventional age of retirement. Drucker notes that many employees already take an early retirement as soon as they're able but then embark on second careers. Although knowledge workers are still a minority among people now reaching 50 or 55, they'll be a very large portion of the over-50 crowd in three decades. Drucker believes that companies will come under growing pressure to attract, retain and accommodate knowledge workers who have reached official retirement age.