A knowledge driven enterprise

It was great Peter Drucker who coined the term -”Knowledge Worker”. Drucker defined the knowledge worker as one who has more knowledge and skill than his manager. Drucker definition was appropriate for 20th century knowledge worker. The definition need to change for defining 21^st Century knowledge workers. A 21^st century knows worker is one who can do knowledge transformation – from explicit knowledge to implicit Knowledge and vice versa. Explicit knowledge is a knowledge which can be clearly documented and made available to all concern in an enterprise for consumption . Enterprises also have another kind of knowledge – the implicit knowledge. Implicit knowledge resides in the mind, attitude and behaviour of its workers. Employees learn explicit knowledge and apply it solve real life problems and issues. In the process they can acquire implicit knowledge. It is extremely difficult to identify implicit knowledge and document it as explicit knowledge. In a truly knowledge driven enterprise, knowledge worker do the transformation of explicit knowledge to implicit knowledge and vice versa.

A knowledge driven enterprise should document explicit knowledge and encourages its employees to consume it, use it and acquire implicit knowledge and the document it as explicit knowledge which can be consumed by others. 

It is continuous knowledge transform process which makes an enterprise a truly knowledge driven enterprise as shown in the following  figure. 

In a truly knowledge driven company, there are large number of 21^st century knowledge worker who are continuously engaged in knowledge transformation. In this process they continuously out learn and out innovate the competitor and provide truly sustainable long term competitive advantage to their enterprise.