knowledge worker productivity
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Improving the productivity of knowledge workers
What are the opportunities?
Workshop at Durham Business School 17th Sept 0830-1300
To attend contact: colin.ashurst@durham.ac.uk
ITDF workshop
• The key challenge from the recent survey of IT management was:
realizing benefits from current systems and information.
• The opportunity: a workshop session to share ideas and
opportunities with colleagues– The workshop will tackle Knowledge Worker Productivity
– There will be input based on recent research, but the design of the
session will focus on enabling members to work together to share ideas &
experience
• Timing and format: 9.00am - 1.00pm on 17th Sept 2010 at Durham
Business School (tea & coffee from 8.30 & lunch at 12.30)
There are big variations in the productivity of knowledge workers
• Based on studies of 600 software developers from 92 companies…
Individuals
• The best people outperform the worst by 10:1
• The best performer is about 2.5 times better than the median
Teams
• There is also a 10:1 difference in productivity among software organisations
• What if this 10:1 difference applies in other knowledge work
scenarios?
DeMarco, Tom. (1999) Peopleware : productive projects and teams. Dorset House Publishing
Knowledge economy – knowledge work
• ‘the unique contribution of management in the 20th century was the 50 fold improvement in the productivity of manual workers…
• ...the most important contribution management needs to make in the 21st century is to similarly increase the productivity of knowledge work and knowledge workers’
• Peter Drucker1999.
Knowledge work productivity: context
• Realising benefits from current systems and information was the top
priority from the recent research project
– ‘Do more with less’
– ‘Sweat the assets. ’
• Many of our users / customers are knowledge workers:
– Lawyers, accountants, academics, doctors, professionals in other public
services, senior managers, consultants, IT professionals…
– Workers who rely on skills and knowledge to get the job done; they have
discretion how to do the job.
• Most organisations have modern, reliable technologies in place (?) But
are we getting the most out of these investments?
What do knowledge workers do?
What do knowledge workers do?
• Attend / lead meetings
• Travel – to customers, suppliers, conferences, other work
locations
• Communicate – face to face, phone, email, instant
messaging….
• Handle interruptions
• Work in project teams – co-located, virtual
• Take decisions
• Write reports / prepare presentations
• Do administration – expenses, travel booking….
What tools do knowledge workers use?
• Pen and paper• Phone / mobile• PC / laptop / tablet pc• PDA• Email / Outlook• Internet• Word• PowerPoint• Excel
• Often use email and Microsoft Office for 20+ hours a week
• Often receive 20, 50 or even up to 200 emails a day
Key issues
• How can we enable individuals and teams to focus on the ‘task’; the work they do
to create value?
• How can we enable individuals and teams to get more out of general technology /
systems?– Demo / discussion
– Then consider eg• Individual activity – eg reports / presentations
• Meetings / committees
• Teams
• Virtual working (meetings, teams)
• Sharing knowledge / good practices
• What are the challenges in developing specialist systems for knowledge workers?
Questions (1)
• What business & IT initiatives have you taken to enable
professional/ knowledge workers to concentrate on the ‘task’ (ie their
activities that create value)?
• What action have you taken to enable knowledge workers to
increase their productivity by exploiting standard desktop and mobile
technologies (Microsoft Office etc)? What about:
– Individuals?
– Meetings?
– Committees?
– Teams?
– Virtual working?
Questions (2)
• Who is responsible for improving knowledge worker productivity
in your organisation?
• How does the help desk contribute?
• How are new ideas and good practices shared?
• How is knowledge worker productivity tackled in individual /
departmental development plans?
Questions (3)
• How does the approach to systems design / development
change when knowledge workers are key users?
• How do you approach implementation / managing change in
knowledge worker scenarios?
• What are good practices post implementation to sustain /
develop benefits realisation in knowledge work scenarios?
END
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