What is a knowledge worker?
A knowledge worker is someone whose main capital is knowledge, or in other words, someone who “thinks” for a living. Knowledge workers solve complex problems and develop new ideas in their field of expertise rather than perform physical tasks like manual laborers. Examples of knowledge workers include engineers, lawyers, academics, scientists, and researchers.
Companies use knowledge base software to store and organize their relevant information in a central repository accessible by team members. Knowledge workers use these platforms to share their subject matter expertise with others and flesh out ideas on a range of business topics. Additionally, knowledge bases are an excellent resource for onboarding new employees.
History of knowledge workers
American writer Upton Sinclair coined the term “white-collar worker” in the 1930s about administrative and clerical professionals. People used this term when identifying general office workers and management paid on a salaried basis. This definition is an early version of the word “knowledge worker” and is used in contrast to “blue-collar worker,” which references manual laborers.
In 1959, Peter Drucker, an Austrian-American management consultant, author, and educator, invented the term “knowledge worker” in his book, Landmarks of Tomorrow: A Report on the New “Post-Modern” World. Drucker established the term “knowledge workers” as those who apply theoretical or analytical knowledge acquired through formal training to carry out their responsibilities. His work was monumental and is still used to describe a significant portion of workers instrumental to the economy today.
Examples of knowledge workers
Knowledge workers generate income and add value by sharing their expertise and intellectual abilities. Many fields of work and potential career paths are suited for knowledge workers.
- Finance: In this sector, knowledge workers use their specialized knowledge of financial systems and markets to manage funds. The industry requires training and certifications to perform specific duties and roles effectively. Financial knowledge workers include accountants, investors, financial analysts, and controllers.
- Healthcare: Although healthcare professionals perform physical tasks, many positions fall into the knowledge worker category. Healthcare professionals undergo formal training to promote public health and offer solutions to medical conditions and other illnesses. Examples of health knowledge professionals are pharmacists, medical researchers, and physicians.
- Technology: The growing technology field has a high demand for knowledge professionals with comprehensive training across various technological systems, hardware, and software. Programmers, coders, software engineers, web designers, information technology specialists, and system analysts are cases of knowledge workers in technology.
- Legal: Law professionals, including lawyers, judges, legal secretaries, and advocates, are legal knowledge workers. The legal profession requires a law degree or other legal education before entering the field.
- Creatives: Many types of knowledge workers fall into a broad category of creative thinking, namely writers, marketers, content creators, and social media specialists.
Characteristics of successful knowledge workers
Being a knowledge worker is more complex than simply thinking about various topics and generating ideas and solutions. Successfully knowledge workers possess specific characteristics that add the most value to their teams and organization, including:
- An insatiable curiosity. Knowledge workers are responsible for solving problems and proposing solutions, even if they don’t have all the required knowledge. Curiosity is critical as it encourages knowledge workers to continuously learn and develop their expertise to fulfill their job functions. Without a natural curiosity, knowledge workers may not deliver the best results.
- Good communication skills. Most positions that knowledge workers fill involve communicating with colleagues, clients, consumers, stakeholders, or patients. Successful knowledge professionals should hone their communication skills to work well with others and deliver meaningful results regardless of the field or industry.
- Practical problem-solving abilities. Knowledge workers must be able to think fast and solve expected and unexpected problems. Sometimes, this may require sifting through massive amounts of information and determining what’s most important or valuable to solving the problem. Additionally, part of problem-solving requires generating innovative solutions.
- Sense of self-awareness. Knowledge work requires constant growth to improve skills and knowledge in ever-evolving professional landscapes. A deep sense of self-awareness enables knowledge workers to understand their strengths and weaknesses so they can pursue improvement opportunities that will help them build upon their current skill sets.
- Desire to work independently. Although many knowledge workers have teams and colleagues to rely on, knowledge work requires independent thinking and solo work time. Successful knowledge professionals must feel comfortable working independently, especially in digitally distributed work environments.
Tips for managing knowledge workers
Knowledge workers offer significant value to organizations, but only within an environment that sets them up for success. Organizations that employ knowledge workers should consider the following best practices when managing their team members for the highest likelihood of success.
- Reduce silos and encourage open knowledge sharing. Even though knowledge work requires independent thought and work time, knowledge workers thrive best in environments without silos. Sharing and exchanging information makes it easy for knowledge workers to obtain the necessary details for consideration when devising solutions and ideas. Employers can encourage open knowledge sharing by creating processes and identifying venues for teammates to share.
- Emphasize iterative work processes and structures. Knowledge work is always evolving, so strict policies and procedures can be limiting and frustrating. Pairing structured workflows with plenty of room for creativity and unstructured processes gives knowledge workers room to play.
- Encourage growth and development opportunities. Knowledge workers thrive in environments that encourage continuous learning. Managers should regularly discuss opportunities for skill development and professional advancement with their knowledge workers. Growth opportunities help them stay current with industry trends, generate innovative concepts, and evolve their skill sets to provide their teams and organization as much value as possible.
Keep reading to learn how businesses can leverage Q&A platforms to allow employees to ask questions about their work.
Alyssa Towns
Alyssa Towns works in communications and change management and is a freelance writer for G2. She mainly writes SaaS, productivity, and career-adjacent content. In her spare time, Alyssa is either enjoying a new restaurant with her husband, playing with her Bengal cats Yeti and Yowie, adventuring outdoors, or reading a book from her TBR list.
