People-focused knowledge management

Knowledge Intensity
Knowledge intensity of work is a function of several factors.
Increased knowledge intensity is a function of how much knowledge
and understanding a person must possess and apply when required
to perform competent work and to be prepared to deal with uncer-
tainties and surprises. It consists of at least four factors:
Level and complexity of knowledge and understanding required
to perform regular work. The amount of knowledge needed to
deliver competent work under normal conditions is part of
determining the degree of knowledge intensity. Requirements for
greater knowledge result in higher knowledge intensity, as we
should expect.
Level of expertise required for competent handling of work-
related variabilities. The degree of knowledge intensity is 
influenced by the variety of challenges that a person must be
prepared to handle competently. Consider the spectrum of alter-
native scenarios the private pilot faces when there are uncertain
weather conditions and congested airways at her destination.
Severity of consequences of potential work errors. Knowledge
intensity increases in high-value situations where the conse-
quences of errors are large. Airline pilots and surgeons, for
example, must be prepared to deal competently with wide
ranges of issues and problems to avoid serious errors. In addi-
tion to executing their normal tasks, they must continuously,
and often tacitly, watch out for indications of potential prob-
lems or anomalies and know how to handle them to avert 
disasters. Competent managers — even ditch diggers — face
similar challenges.
Swiftness of action. Work that requires quick actions (e.g.,
fighter pilots engaged in combat) requires that all required
knowledge and understanding must be present in the person’s
mind. Work that is slower (e.g., insurance underwriting) is less
knowledge intensive and can rely on external knowledge from
coworkers, computer-based work aids, etc.
At this time, we do not attempt to provide measures of knowl-
edge intensity of work, although that could be of value to set 
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priorities for where and how to invest in knowledge building and
management.