Knowledge Capitalism : Business, Work, and Learning in the New Economy

Knowledge Capitalism probes the surface of contemporary economic and social change, revealing how the shift to a knowledge-based economy is redefining firms, empowering individuals, and reshaping the links between learning and work. Using economic, management and knowledge-based theories, supported by empirical data and illustrations from leading companies, Knowledge Capitalism describes the emergence of a new breed of capitalist, one dependent on knowledge rather than physical resources. The author argues that industrial-era models of firm-market boundaries, work arrangements, and ownership and control are inhibiting firms and individuals success in the emerging knowledge economy. New models are proposed based on knowledge-centred organisation, knowledge-led growth, and knowledge supply as distinct from labour supply or flexible employment. Continuous learning is shown to be critical to firms as integrators of disparate knowledge resources, and the only practical route for individuals to become free agents. Knowledge Capitalism illuminates the new business landscape and provides a practical tool-set for business practitioners and theorists to interpret and manage change in a rapidly deconstructing economic environment.