Abstract
In this chapter, the topic of using process improvement approaches to improve knowledge work is addressed. The effective performance of knowledge work is critical to contemporary sophisticated economies. It is suggested that traditional, engineering-based approaches to knowledge work are incompatible with the autonomy and work approaches of many knowledge workers. Therefore, a variety of alternative process-oriented approaches to knowledge work are described. Emphasis is placed on differentiating among different types of knowledge work and applying process interventions that are more behaviorally sensitive.
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Notes
- 1.
- 2.
I first employed this distinction in an article with Sirkka Jarvenpaa and Michael Beers, “Improving Knowledge Work Processes” (Davenport et al. 1996).
- 3.
For an example of the relationship between knowledge sharing and performance, see Cummings (2004).
- 4.
Brown and Duguid have elaborated on the process–practice distinction in their book “The Social Life of Information” (Brown and Duguid 2000, p. 91–116).
- 5.
For more on the relationship between Six Sigma and process management in general, see Conger (2014).
- 6.
The use of Business Process Management approaches in collaborative work settings is explored in Kemsley (2014).
- 7.
For an example of how to assess self-reported attention allocation, see Davenport and Beck (2002).
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Davenport, T.H. (2015). Process Management for Knowledge Work. In: vom Brocke, J., Rosemann, M. (eds) Handbook on Business Process Management 1. International Handbooks on Information Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45100-3_2
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