Selecting, Developing, Managing and Retaining Knowledge Workers

Do HR departments have a bun in the oven the right strategies to select, trail, manage and apply knowledge role players? As Peter Drucker recently quoted, the bare-ass knowledge thriftiness leave al wholeness rely heavily on knowledge workers who are not, as a rule, much better paid than traditional skilled workers only in any case see themselves as professionals. cognition technologists are likely to compel the dominant social and perhaps, political force over the next decades. Thus, it is genuinely important to have the right strategies in place to select, develop, manage and arrest knowledge workers.But before we proceed to analyze if HR departments do have these strategies, we pauperization to understand what the term knowledge workers means. A knowledge worker is unmatchable who works primarily with information or one who develops and uses knowledge in the body of work. In a knowledge-driven economy, a knowledge worker is oriented more towards research, analysis a nd manipulation of the symbols, as in information, sooner than the mechanical tools.These individuals have domain knowledge expertise and may hold broadly architects, finance experts, graphic designers, fashion designers, pharmaceutical scientists, researchers, teachers, and policy analysts, to take a shit but a few. In order to focus on strategically critical knowledge workers, it is necessary to move beyond merely creating a supportive culture or a trounce place to work. sack up innovators understand their worth. These workers are independent and entrepreneurial, for instance like the originators of eBay, Google and Facebook.To keep such(prenominal) spate, it is necessary to make them feel like they are building their take in businesses within the larger organization. This washbasin be achieved partly by recognizing their situation as thought leaders but it is also important to ordinate them a stake in the unseasoned fields of business they develop. The bottom line is that organizations need to view key talent as partners, quite a than as employees or resources. The balance of power has shifted such that naughtyly skilled innovators need to be seen as partners or they are gone.In the past, human resources, training, and grasp relations managers and specialists performed the administrative function of an organization, such as handling employee benefits questions or recruiting, interviewing, and hiring new lag in accordance with policies established by flower management. Their task was to attract, motivate, and retain the most qualified employees and match them to jobs for which they are best suited.Today the role of human resources workers is more than just managing these tasks, but, increasingly, that of strategic prep in consultation with top executives. They have moved from behind-the-scenes cater work to leading the company in suggesting and changing policies. Many organizations seize to have a commitment to developing their employees and phrases such as our people are our most valuable assets are often spotted on motivational posters in companies. In my opinion, however, very few companies embrace a structured approach to training and retentivity programmes.HR departments may asseverate to have some(prenominal) strategies to select, develop, manage and retain employees, but what is important is that the mental contract, which is vital to building and sustaining a win-win relationship, needs to be reinforced. Research shows that several well-intended training and training initiatives fail to deliver the desired results. In fact, during frugal slowdowns the budget which is often the first to be cut back on is the training budget.Adopting a structured approach to employee training and memory requires a change in mindset at the very top-level of the organization. The entire emersion of staff retention needs to be treated in a strategic way and this is where most organizations lack. The first step in the tu ition of an employee retention strategy is identifying the pinch points for the organization, the areas where the company regularly suffers from a high staff turnover and the particular concerns and problems of the targeted staff groups.It is also important to have a clear understanding of the expectations and aspirations of your employees only then can you develop the strategies needed to meet some of these aspirations and begin to develop a workplace that is a great place to work and employees who see the company as a good company to work for. A good retention strategy should address issues such as support in the workplace, progression, opportunities for development, remuneration, workings time, and flexible working. The focus should be on retaining existing talent and keeping the available organizational knowledge intact rather than searching for new talents.The key to achiever testament be the integration of training and development within the retention strategy. Training an d development provides the means of supporting staff to operate effectively and enabling staff to access the opportunities provided by the retention strategy. Levels of remuneration and flexible working allow signal the right environment but it is through using training and development as a mechanism to demonstrate investment in employees on an on-going basis that will turn an organizational commitment into a reality.The techniques and movementes that help new hires take quickly are also the techniques and processes that help retain organizational knowledge. Knowledge sharing techniques such as communities of practice, mentoring, lunch and learn sessions, business process maps, expertise directories of staff are just as useful for retaining organizational knowledge as they are for fast learning by new employees. A good knowledge sharing technique should address questions such as What does it offer me? What does it offer us? What does it offer to the organization? once these t echniques fill the personal and group learning needs of staff, they will also evolve to sharing strategic information. Techniques such as communities of practice can be HRs role in strategic information management for the organization. The success of an organization in its strategy will be judged ultimately by its success in engaging individuals in development activities, not in simply having them available. The key to success will be how relevant and enchant the development activity is and how accessible it is to employees.It requires talent to retain talent. The successful employer of the prox will be a keen competitor in the skills market. They will compete for the best recruits but not in terms of rigorously financial rewards but by offering them the best working experience, one that offers security as well as progression and personal growth. They will focus on retaining the available organizational knowledge and harnessing it to the maximum rather than on hunting for new tale nts.