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INTRODUCTION 27

>> Structural approaches to managing knowledge assume an epistemology of possession,
while process and practice approaches assume an epistemology of practice.
>> The principles of Scientific Management can be seen as an early attempt to manage knowl-
edge. They are still applied today in many sectors.

>> An industrial shift to the ‘Information Age’ or ‘Knowledge Era’ has witnessed new forms
of knowledge production and a growing awareness of knowledge work as a major source
of wealth creation across organizations and nations.
>> ‘Knowledge Management’ became popular on the back of this shift as a means of coping
with growing uncertainties of knowledge work in the twenty-first century. Approaches
that aim to extract and harness the knowledge of the individual worker are actually quite
reminiscent of Scientific Management.

>> The management of knowledge workers is of strategic importance, in particular, to firms
that compete on the basis of innovation.

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