Free Business Dissertations - 1999:256). Productivity Measurements For Manual Workers Have Usually Based On
1999:256). Productivity measurements for manual workers have usually based on output. The measuring of manual worker productivity was a critical in laying the groundwork for improvement in the productivity of the manufacturing sector Today, work that is considered to be all manual has largely been automated, thereby reducing the human effort in the production process. This has produced high levels of productivity, quality and standardisation (Ramírez, Y and Nembhard 2004).
The appearance of knowledge based economies, has deep implications for the factors of growth, and its effect on employment and skill requirements. This may call for new directions in industry related government policies (DTI White Paper). The UK government aimed there learning policies towards the emerging knowledge economy. The prime minister stated that "education is the best economic policy we have. That through the policy of lifelong learning the UK would have the knowledge to compete in the new economy (Tony Blair PM 1998 cited in DTI White Paper).
To compete in the new economy organisations and their component parts (employees) require the skills to compete. These skills today are both the responsibility of the organisation and the employee. Employees who seek career development and promotion can develop their own skills. To be able to plan this intervention, the individual should understand which method and delivery of training is suited to their requirements (Sparrow, S. 2004).
Best (2001) discussed the new economy, as a knowledge-based economy without borders, where the race is between organisations to learn faster and organise more flexibly to take advantage of technology-enabled market opportunities (Best (2001) cited in DeFillippi, R. 2002). Organisations have changed in the way they operate, shifting from immobile-wired infrastructures to mobile, miniature, and wireless modes of communication, computing, and transacting. Customers now demand 24 hour service, with any time, any place" solutions of their problems (DeFillippi, R. 2002).
Knowledge workers are described as high-level employees who apply theoretical and analytical knowledge, acquired through formal education, to develop new products or services (Drucker, P.(1994) cited in Ramírez, Y and Nembhard 2004). This however does not stress as much the importance of informal education; this can come from previous experience in a specific area, previous access and use of personal knowledge, organisational knowledge, and external knowledge. Davenport and Prusak (2000) define knowledge workers as those who create knowledge, such as product development engineers, or as those whose use of knowledge is a dominant aspect of their work, such as financial auditors This concept was later expanded by (Davenport, 2002).
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