About knowledge worker’s productivity… or the E2.0 paradigm

Productivity in enteprise 2.0 is a very important issus since it’s key in CxOs decision to make their company switch. We all recognize enterprise 2.0 is mainly about knowledge working so I’m convinced we have to consider what’s key in knowledge workers productivity.

On this point I found some interesting things in Challenges for the 21st Century, by Peter Drucker, where we’re given hints to settle a new paradigm where knowledge working is correctly evaluated.

Most companies still evaluate work on principles that last from Taylor ! Taylor didn’t build a theory but a method that helped him to find an accurate way to drive and evaluate production in the industrial context. The context changend but methods remain the same so it’s not a surprise it’s hard to demonstrate E2.0 value. What we need is a new Taylor to fin how to drive and evaluate production in the present economy…once that’s acknowledged, E2.0 value will be fully demonstrated.

XXth century organizations were built upon a paradigm which purpose was to maximize value around industrial production. XXIst century organization will have to build a paradigm to maximize value around knowledge production…or they will soon encounter big troubles by measuring things with wrongs indications about wrong purposes.

What does Drucker tell us :

– Determining a knowledge worker’s productivity supposes we first ask “what’s the task”.

– Production must be responsability of the knowledge workers. They need autonomy and have to manage themselves.

– Continuous innovation must be a part of their job, of their responsability.

– knowledge worker’s productivity is not only a question of quantity. Qualitity is at least as important.

– knowledge worker’s productivity supposes he’s seen and treated as an asset and not as a cost. This also supporses he wants tho work for this organization rather than any other.

Build en enterprise upon this paradigm and E2.0 value won’t have to be proven anymore. The point is companies have to be organized in order to transform knowledge into value…and draw conclusions from that in their evaluation process.

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Bertrand DUPERRIN
Bertrand DUPERRINhttps://www.duperrin.com/english
Head of People and Business Delivery @Emakina / Former consulting director / Crossroads of people, business and technology / Speaker / Compulsive traveler
Head of People and Business Delivery @Emakina / Former consulting director / Crossroads of people, business and technology / Speaker / Compulsive traveler
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