What is the knowledge society and why do engineers have to deal with it?
Denning: This term is used to describe a change over the past half century from labor-intensive to conversation-intensive work, from hands to brain. Today about 80% of the jobs are in white-color, service work; only 20% are in manufacturing and other forms of labor. Most work today depends on knowledge and intellect, not muscle. The person standing before a workstation may not be moving much, but nonetheless can be engaging in significant transactions that affect many people’s lives. Look at what we mean by vacation in the knowledge society. The assembly- line worker goes away and someone takes his place; when he returns he resumes his place and there is no backlog. When the knowledge worker goes on vacation, no one can fill her place; when she returns, she has to catch up on many things that accumulated in her absence. Because of your special knowledge and familiarity with the project, you’re a key person who can’t be replaced easily. CT: Doesn’t this have to do with being a generalis
