chapter 22
....................................................................................................................................................HRM AND
KNOWLEDGE
WORKERS
....................................................................................................................................juani swart
22.1 Introduction
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Theimportance and diYculty of the management of knowledge workers has been
widely acknowledged (Alvesson 2000 ; May et al. 2002 ; Scarbrough 1999 ; Smith
et al. 2005 ) and knowledge worker management has now progressed beyond
fad status (Drucker 1999 ; Scarbrough and Swan 2001 ). A key explanation for this
development lies with the historic shift from a focus on physical andWnancial
forms of capital as key production resources to one on human and intellectual
capital (Martin and Moldoveanu 2003 ). Intellectual material—knowledge, infor-
mation, intellectual property, experience—that can be put to use to create wealth
(Stewart 1997 ) is at the heart of the contemporary business model (Starbuck 1992 ).
Knowledge businesses, such as design and engineering services, computer software
design, high fashion,Wnancial services, health care, and management consulting
(Lei et al. 1999 ), rely on the conversion of their human capital (knowledge, skills,
and talent) to intellectual capital (product and service oVerings in the market
place).
In these environments, wealth creation is less dependent on thecontrolof resources
and more dependent on the exercise of specialist knowledge, or the management
of organizational competencies (Blackler 1995 ). We can no longer blame the