digitalknowledgeworker.net

The last post ended with an implicit distinction of knowledge work from information work. There is a difference between the two terms, yet they can be used almost congruently most of the times. The relationship between knowledge work and information work lies in the subtlety of where knowledge “happens”. Knowledge is inherently personal and only our cognitive processes that happen in our brain can be described as knowledge work. The cognitive processes that aim at answering questions can be described as knowledge work in a narrow sense. On the other hand, information-work is not limited to our cognitive processes – the activity rather describes ways of manipulating or handling information in any possible form.

Knowledge work is a value adding process whereby personal knowledge is used to shape the communication of processed input to a certain audience.

What exactly is is valuable? Knowledge work means applying logic and reasoning - that's what's valuable! Knowledge work is performed each time people make decisions. Knowledge workers are people who are employed to make their own decisions based on information they receive and logic/reasoning they apply. Value is derived in finding suitable answers to specific questions, thereby reducing uncertainty.

The result of knowledge work, namely processed inputs is always in the form of information. Knowledge work is thus surrounded by information work