Managing knowledge workers

If you’re a competent knowledge worker, sooner or later you will manage other people. Not everyone finds this easy.

Part of the problem is the nature of knowledge work means we are highly-trained specialists. A typical knowledge worker has plenty of skill, ability and experience—but these worthwhile qualities generally focus on narrow areas of activity.

And despite the millions of dollars invested and all the hours spent on lifetime learning, surprisingly few of us get the opportunity to pick up much in the way of people management training.

Little formal management training

One estimate found less than 10 percent of all Australian and New Zealand managers have had any formal instruction in organising, leading, motivating and otherwise dealing with workers. And much of the formal training people have been through is basic, maybe a day or two in a seminar and few hands-on workshops.

This glaring lack of formal management education means that you should always show interest if your employer offers to pay for management training. As all knowledge workers know, rare skills that are in demand are valuable.

If you can show a prospective employer you've completed a conflict resolution course or similar in addition to your specialist skills, you'll push yourself to the front of the short list and maybe able to negotiate a better deal. After all, everyone is looking for leaders.

Make the time for training

The biggest problem is people don't like taking courses. Don't kid yourself you don't have the time for training. Make the time. Then use your new skills to lead others as you catch up on missed work and then move into fast forward.

There are lucky people who seem to have innate people management skills. I've seen a few in my time, but I cringe watching younger knowledge workers as they struggle to deal with junior workers.

The biggest error made by beginning managers is taking fictional management role models at face value and acting out the role as if they were playing in a movie. You might see successful two-fisted managers on TV, and Australia has had its fair share of these types in the past, but thumping the desk and screaming at people is no way to succeed in the knowledge economy.

There are good management role models elsewhere on television. Many sports team coaches and captains show the management qualities that you'd expect to see in a modern information-based company.

Sporting role models

International cricket captains are particularly worth watching. You'll notice the best ones consult with key players, listen to their specialist advice, deliver sober encouragement when required, calm down the more headstrong mavericks and take calculated risks. They keep everyone focused on the result while making sure the process works.

Clearly there are differences between captaining a cricket team and managing skilled knowledge workers. Yet on some levels the two tasks are the same.

Of course these captains are not perfect, they do dumb things and make mistakes. But from a management technique observer's point of view this is even better than watching them glide along never putting a foot wrong.

Next time you decide to kill a few hours watching any top-level professional sport make a point of watching the management styles of both teams with a critical eye.