Peter F. Drucker, Knowledge Work

Peter F. Drucker, Knowledge Work and Knowledge Society

The central thesis of Peter F. Drucker's "Knowledge Work and Knowledge Society" is that while knowledge has since the earliest times played a fundamental part in the evolutionary change within human society it is today assuming a much greater importance than ever before. Secondly, Drucker emphasizes that the emergence of knowledge workers is creating a new class group and force dynamic influence on society which can be seen as a radical and complex development in the world. Drucker states that the new emphasis on the value of knowledge has the potential to revolutionize the very structure of society and the way in which diverse societies relate to one another. He in fact states that these factors have already initiated a post-capitalistic society which is set to create global transformations in society. These transformations include the modern role of organizational management and the specific understanding of the worker as an independent employee.

Drucker begins his argument by establishing his main thesis; namely that no period in history has been marked by such radical social transformations as was the case during the Twentieth Century. This tendency, he suggests, was marked by the emphasis on knowledge and the emergence of the modern knowledge worker. Drucker points out that the dominating trend towards the importance of knowledge and knowledge workers in society, while not in the majority, is becoming the predominant and central force in the economics strata of society. He states that knowledge workers are giving society its "character" and establishing the tone and trajectory of work in the contemporary world. More importantly knowledge workers form an influential part of the leadership in society and therefore gain access to the most sought after jobs through the process of formal education. Drucker is careful to point out the complexity of the issue and discusses the different types of knowledge workers and the way in which manual skills are also important in some aspects of knowledge work. He also emphasizes the specialized nature or temperament of the knowledge worker in society. The quality of education and educational institutions is another crucial factor in determining the success or failure of a society. A central aspect of his argument is that knowledge and knowledge acquisition is tending to replace the importance of revenue and property in modern society - which is another indication of the radical changes that are taking place in the emerging knowledge society.

Drucker suggests that the implications of the emphasis and status given to information may also have a negative and counter-productive effect, where performance and practical issues may be neglected in place of theory and the acquisition of formal knowledge for its own sake. Furthermore, he strongly suggests that the emergence of the knowledge society may also mean the possibility of a new class conflict between the minority of knowledge workers and the larger majority of those involved in more traditional and manually orientated work. An essential point that he makes is that the competitive position of counties will depend more on the productivity and quality of knowledge workers.

Understanding the knowledge-based society leads to various challenges.

Among these is the fact that those with knowledge have to make themselves understood to those without this knowledge foundation. A major aspect of his argument is that the emphasis in knowledge societies shifts from the individual to the team and a new understanding of the how the team functions within the organization becomes crucial.