Thami Nompula MBA Dissertation March 2007 - Rhodes eResearch ...
Thami Nompula MBA Dissertation March 2007 - Rhodes eResearch ...
Thami Nompula MBA Dissertation March 2007 - Rhodes eResearch ...
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outside of the organisation (Malone, 2004; Stewart, 1997). The current organisational trend<br />
moves away from hierarchical functional roles towards flatter structures in which all employees<br />
can contribute through their specific areas of expertise. Knowledge workers bring knowledge<br />
advantage and must therefore be recognised for the unique contribution they make.<br />
2.2.2 Emergence of intellectual capital and the knowledge worker<br />
Research conducted by the United Nations reflect that since the 1970s countries such as the<br />
United States, Europe and Japan have accelerated the employment of knowledge workers and this<br />
has developed as a trend (Despres and Hiltrop, 1995). For example, the United States recorded<br />
the highest percentage of knowledge workers in its service and manufacturing sectors while<br />
Europe and Japan tended to have more knowledge workers employed in the manufacturing<br />
sectors than in the service sectors (Despres and Hiltrop, 1995:16). In South Africa, this trend<br />
began to show in the 1980s and started accelerating in the 1990s (Roux, 1995). Comparisons with<br />
other countries confirm this growth in the country, albeit lagging behind more developed<br />
economies (Despres and Hiltrop, 1995; Roux, 1995). For South Africa to obtain national and<br />
global competitiveness, it is crucial to both develop and retain knowledgeable human capital.<br />
According to the Bureau of Market Research (BMR) (2006), there is a shortage of and demand<br />
for professionals and specialists in the services sector.<br />
The shortage of skilled workers relative to their demand is as a result of both the low number of<br />
qualified knowledge workers and high turnover due to emigration or taking up positions in<br />
foreign countries (BMR, 2006). This shortage means that South African organisations are unable<br />
to attract and obtain appropriately qualified and experienced employees representing specialist<br />
knowledge areas. It is unlikely that this problem will be resolved comprehensively sooner given<br />
the high mobility of these types of employees, employment equity considerations and their<br />
attractiveness in the market place (BMR, 2006). Put differently, the demand for this type of<br />
employee exceeds supply. For the South African economy to flourish, it is important for supply<br />
to meet demand, thus placing the right skills in the right positions so that organisations can<br />
perform well and trade competitively.<br />
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