About Me

I have done a lot of things in my life and have also worked in many different jobs to make a living and to experience life. This blog is just some of my musings, sometimes funny, sometimes inspirational, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes simple but all the time, it's just me.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

"K-worker" in a "DS" environment?

Malaysia keeps talking this thing about K worker or Knowledge worker.

To be honest, this term of knowledge worker is very old but in Malaysia it is the new hip thing.

Peter Drucker coined the term knowledge worker and started writing about knowledge worker in 1959.

Yes, 50 years ago. 2 years after our countries independence.

But our country only starts talking about it now.

A knowledge worker in today's workforce is an individual that is valued for their ability to interpret information within a specific subject area. They will often advance the overall understanding of that subject through focused analysis, design and/or development.

They use research skills to define problems and to identify alternatives. Fueled by their expertise and insight, they work to solve those problems, in an effort to influence company decisions, priorities and strategies.

Knowledge workers may be found across a variety of information technology roles, but also among professionals like teachers, lawyers, architects, physicians, nurses, engineers and scientists.

As businesses increase their dependence on information technology, the number of fields in which knowledge workers must operate has expanded dramatically.

In Malaysia, Malaysians have long given up the hard labour roles. These roles were given up to the Indonesians and Bangladeshis to develop our nation. 100 years ago, the labour jobs were given away to Indians and Chinese (for rubber and tin respectively) and they have stayed here and become part of Malaysian society.

20 or 50 years from now, the Indonesians labourers who helped build the buildings will also become Malaysians.

You see, a lot of Malaysians have this DS mentality. DS meaning damn stingy, damn selfish, damn stupid.

Generally, a lot of Malaysians do not like sharing information completely.

They will keep some information with themselves. This is so that they remain always superior than the new person coming into the job.

So, every generation, instead of having proper information, we do not receive enough information.

Even with technology, where information is stored in databases, sometimes a person has to dig through thousands of data to find the correct information although the person next to you may already know where it is.

When we do not have the information, we cannot interpret the information, when we cannot interpret the information, we cannot be a knowledge worker.

We can only continue to be DS worker.

Also, why choose to be K economy now, 50 years later. Isn't there something more advance, something better, something more up to date?

I guess we'll have to leave that to the Einstein generation to tell us.

Take care and be well.

2 comments:

chchoo said...

Nothing beats our very own Malaysian Apartheid called NEP. As long as we keep segregating ourselves based on color and religion and sending the public servants to the racially-provocative BTN courses that cultivate hatred, we are doomed.

We will soon have Kanasai-worker in a Deep-Shit environment in Malaysia. 2020 is just around the corner.

Ser said...

Most (80%)of my former colleagues were in this category. The worst part is that the bosses were no better.

All is not lost as I still had 20% of good bosses & colleagues which made my working days worth-while.

Most Malaysian and Asian in general (on the management side especially) do not get it! They do not realise that when they teach someone well, the process follows through and the next person will benefit.

Sigh!