Can Today's Workers Adapt to the New Knowledge Worker Mindset ?

KM Session Group

Can Today's Workers Adapt to the New Knowledge Worker Mindset ?
Mr Duncan Wong, Operations Manager,
Telecommunications, Hong Kong

Print AUDIO : 2:40 Minutes

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Duncan Wong's Response -
... it is more complicated. In a way, it is right that people should transform but I think you mentioned the key word - changing the mindset ... OK.

One thing of my experience as an executive and a practitioner... more a practitioner than the academic side, is, while...people are too LATE to realise that they have to relearn. OK ?

There has been (someone) 40 or 50 years. And he has been working the same way for 30 years. OK.

And the only time that they sense they need to relearn is when in crisis... the crisis when the company has to do something drastic. OK, the economy can't allow the company to just sit there. So eventually the company just doesn't allow those old age workers to stay there. It becomes too late to relearn. And that happened not just for long-term learners, even for high-tech learners.

For example...

[Edited & Summarised - one of Duncan's colleagues was promoted because of their technical competence but had not transformed to project management competence... "Unfortunately, (they) don't realise that."

Meanwhile the person's subordinates continue to build their tech skills beyond the person in question. The CEO was considering openly cutting the role because it seems not to add extra value. Yet to Duncan it is a vital role if there is good project management skills. Each knowledge worker must adapt and be proactive in their new roles. ]

[Continues Duncan...]
The problem is that I think things... changes... reflects this knowledge economy. You can say at the moment in time, we can say, a knowledge worker should look like that. I can tell you two years down the road you will be looking like that. You have to change.

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Wilson Tay - That's why you need to keep your people constantly learning. That's why the learning organisation is very key.
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Yes... That is the key.

I am going to present a paper tomorrow about the survival of small business in Hong Kong. OK. Especially in the world of emerging technology in Hong Kong.

I think the problem I see is... why... people have knowledge is because, well... People have a problem, OK ? because they can't use the existing knowledge to solve the problem. So, that new knowledge is created. But the new knowledge will bring deep uncertainties because knowledge will be defined and redefined.

So... as knowledge becomes the source of an answer to uncertainty...

So at this age, because of emerging globalisation, because of the technology development...OK... in the past what has happened...well, it happened all in the past but....

the Pace is not so FAST.

Now days, because of technology/ICT, new knowledge is generated very fast, very fast. And then the kind of redefinition, the evaluation of repositories will generate just like this.

But people will pick it up, like it or not...

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Can Today's Workers Adapt to the New Knowledge Worker Mindset ? -Dr Wilson Tay,	Can Today's Workers Adapt to the New Knowledge Worker Mindset ? - Mr Duncan Wong
Further Issues Towards adapting to New Knowledge Worker Mindset - Dr Wilson Tay	Codification in an Individualistic World ? -Mr Gary Oliver
Case Study Antidote to Individualism Attitude -Dr Wilson Tay