Definition Of Knowledge Work And Empirical Study Of The Productivity Of Knowledge Work

With the gradual increase of knowledge amount in most positions, deep changes have taken place in the form and content of work. Workers are no longer the workforce of original meaning. The concept of knowledge work and knowledge worker has been proposed in this case .It has been popularized and widely spread. The research in the field has drawn common concern from experts and scholars in home and abroad.The core of scientific management movement that Frederick Winslow Taylor started is how to improve productivity of physical work. This movement has caused the revolutionary change of traditional management. Nowadays, in developed countries, people have fully grasped the basic law of physical work productivity, while the productivity of knowledge work appears. Peter Drucker, a famous management master, points out: the most important contribution of management in the 20th century which has increased physical strength work productivity 50 times then before. To increase the knowledge work productivity is the greatest challenge of management in the 21st century.The research on knowledge work productivity is long-term and complicated, involving very extensive subjects, while this dissertation sets out some problems about it.First, based on the study of theories and practice, this paper attempts to probe one basic issue on how to signify the characteristics of knowledge work, and develop the principles on knowledge work—the procedure and standard of working process, which can well explain knowledge characteristics of all kinds of work and the necessity of the productivity of knowledge work.Second, it quotes others' achievement of this seminar, which brings in a methodto measure knowledge amount of the position.Third, based on definition of knowledge work, this paper demonstrates the characteristics and the influencing factors of productivity of knowledge work.Based on the theoretical research, this dissertation studies the present situation of two companies to prove characteristics of knowledge work and other theories. Through the study of Pujing Company, this author describes the comparative research on knowledge work and physical work to prove the above theories. The knowledge amount of the position in Shuijingshi Company is higher than Pujing Company. This author proves the above-mentioned theories through the empirical study of the typical knowledge work team in Shuijingshi Company.This thesis uses the methods of empirical study, comparative analysis and logical deduction, and obtains some significant conclusions on the definition of knowledgework and the productivity of knowledge work.