Contact:cdent@burningchrome.com
Zand, D. (1981). From knowledge to action. In _Information, organization and power_. (pp. 19-35). New York: McGraw-Hill. An extraordinary collection of unsupported generlizations that either made me giggle or choke, including the following gems: 1) Knowledge workers...may complain about overwork, but deep down they would not want it any other way. Says who? Hi, I'm a manager, new on the job, heard about this knowledge management thing. I've got some new recruits in from the university where they've been teaching them about knowledge discovery. They sure are a wild bunch. I'm not quite sure how to handle them, they keep complaining about too much work. What? You say that's normal and they like that? Okay, great, thanks for the help. 2) So the production worker seeks relief in spectator entertainment and mild mental stimulation. [The knowledge specialist seeks] relief by participating in sports, physical activities, and mental diversions. Whoa! I tell you whut Bubba, after a long hard day at work there's nothing I like better than to sit in front of the TV, stick my hand down my pants like that guy on TV, drink me a beer and watch my favorite football team kick some ass but ever since I got that promotion for figuring out that we were losing 25% of the widgets because the bolts came down the line unordered I really can't bring myself to do it. I've got to out with the boys from the office and play a few hard games of raquetball down at the club. No, I'm sorry, you can't come, you're still one of them there production workers. You wouldn't like it anyway, your type doesn't go for that sort of thing. These sorts of things make it very difficult for me to see the good advice that is there in Zand's work. Knowledge conversion is certainly a very important aspect of the business game (or any game for that matter). Back to the Index