Knowledge Workers in the Information Society

This book offers a long-awaited critical perspective on knowledge work, a concept that has attracted economists and management theorists since the 1960s. Although the discourse on knowledge work has resurfaced as a fashionable topic in recent years, several gaps still remain in the current literature.

One of these is the lack of sociologically oriented analysis. The rise of knowledge work is not only an economic or managerial issue - it reflects a major social and cultural transformation comparable to, yet at the same time very different from, the Industrial Revolution.

In addition to providing a thorough synthesis on the research literature, the authors shed light on the everyday realities of knowledge work, with empirical evidence from Finland, one of the most advanced information societies in the world. The eight chapters of the book revolve around the following themes:

* the birth of the Finnish information society
* the growth of knowledge and skills as an asset
* the importance of teamworking
* the problems and possibilities of distributed work
* the flattening of organizational hierarchies
* the emergence of new labour market divisions
* the commodification of intellectual capital
* the strengths and weaknesses of the Finnish information society

Written with precision and with clarity, Knowledge Workers in the Information Society is an essential and original contribution to information society and organization studies and will be welcomed by readers interested in the social side of technological change.

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Nyckelord: knowledge work, management theory