Leadership in management of knowledge workers

Abstract

Knowledge workers are important and growing group of employees. The major resource and tool of their work is knowledge. Due to its tacit dimension, knowledge is of intangible character which makes the management of knowledge workers difficult; managers cannot observe and control the most important part of the process of work of knowledge workers (it happens in their brains and is invisible) and they cannot use directive tools that fail with this group of employees. Managers of knowledge workers are advised to change their managerial role for the leadership one. The article discusses problematic of leadership of knowledge workers. Research on this problematic is a part of the research on knowledge workers, their management and leadership. The research started in autumn 2010 at the University of Economics Prague and the Police Academy of the Czech Republic in Prague and it still continues. The objective of the research is to verify some aspects of knowledge work and the management and leadership of knowledge workers. The research is a quantitative research based on the questionnaire. As both management and leadership are practical disciplines we decided to use Lee Iacocca's concept of 9 Cs of leadership (leadership scorecard) as a basis for the research on leadership. The article provides the results of answers of 125 respondents and shows that managers in our country have great reserves in leadership techniques and skills.