Knowledge workers have two essential and interrelated needs. The first is for formal education that enables them to enter knowledge work initially. The second need is for continuing education throughout their working lives that allows them to keep their knowledge current.

Knowledge workers are highly mobile. They think nothing of moving from one geographic area or company to another, as long as they stay within their field. Their primary allegiance is to their specialized branch of knowledge.

Thus, organizations must facilitate the initial and continuing education of the knowledge technologist in order to create high paying jobs and effectively compete with areas such as the Research Triangle and Silicon Valley. Highly educated adults will continue their exodus until we meet their needs.

It’s important to recognize that while the “knowledge society” has not arrived yet, it is close enough for leaders to contemplate and act on. Increasingly, the development and growth of a business is taking place not inside the organization itself but through partnerships and joint ventures.

In the information and biotechnology fields, many alliances between universities and companies have been formed in the last decade. Is there unexploited opportunity here for more business and education partnerships?

All enterprises have to become change agents by abandoning things that have proven to be unsuccessful while continuing systematic improvement of every product, service, and process that is effective.

We must recognize and re-think market sectors that are shrinking. Peter Drucker suggests that by 2020 manufacturing output in the U.S. will at least double, but manufacturing employment will shrink from 15 to 10 percent.

Huge changes lie ahead in the Nation. Manufacturing employment will shrink. Paul Campanella of the Hudson Valley Technology Development center said; “Manufacturing jobs on average pay 50% more than service sector jobs.” Will displaced workers reappear in relatively low wage distribution and retail jobs or will we provide for the initial and continuing education needed to attract and keep higher paying knowledge work?

Parts of the Nation have, over the past two decades, lost many higher paying manufacturing jobs. While employment numbers have grown, many replacement jobs have come from the lower-paying distribution, service and retail sectors. As a result, many of our residents can no longer afford to live here. Retraining and developing our workforce for knowledge work is critical to answering this problem.

This is my 100th column for the Business Journal. The purpose is to help you do even better. Readers represent diverse organizations, from every product and service related industry, profit and not-for-profit organizations, from large employers to sole proprietors.

Has this column helped you? Are there other topics you are interested in that our diverse readership can also benefit from? Your suggestions, comments, and even criticism are always appreciated. The only bad feedback is that which we never get. Email me, jmurtagh@hvc.rr.com or call the toll free number below.

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