This mini-track invites research addressing the information systems development issues related to knowledge work. Even though the definitions of knowledge work are varied and inconclusive, it is argued that knowledge workers include professionals, consultants, technicians, scientists, intellectuals and managers. Furthermore, knowledge work is described as the production and re-production of information and knowledge, it is cerebral and involves the manipulation of abstractions and symbols, and it typically requires formal education. With the advent of the information age in which information and knowledge are viewed as primary economic resources, knowledge workers are becoming increasingly important. This implies that we need to understand who knowledge workers are and what they do in order to design and implement technologies that support them.

In this mini-track, we therefore want to explore the definition and characterization of knowledge work and knowledge workers. We also want to examine knowledge work practices to get a better understanding of what knowledge workers actually do. We are thus interested in the following questions:

• What is knowledge work?
• Who are the people we call knowledge workers?
• What do knowledge workers actually do and hHow is their work done?
• How can we ensure that the implications of knowledge workers’ practices are considered in the design and implementation of information technology?

Of particular interest are field studies that not only discuss what knowledge work is but also how it is accomplished. However, this mini-track is also open to a variety of research approaches, including amongst others conceptual development, surveys, and laboratory experiments.

Examples of research invited by this mini-track include, but are not limited to:

• Research that develops definitions of knowledge work;
• Research that explores the essential differences between knowledge work and other categories of work, e.g., craft work and service work;
• Research on knowledge work in practice, i.e., what knowledge workers actually do and how it is done;
• Research exploring the relationship between knowledge workers and technology;
• Research accessing the issues of requirement analysis for the design and implementation of information systems for knowledge work;
• Genealogical research on knowledge work as a category of work; and
• Research on the social implications of knowledge work as a category of work

Jeffrey Kim
Whitehead College
University of Redlands
1200 East Colton Street
Box 3080
Redlands, CA 92373-0999
Email: kim@uor.edu
(909) 748 - 6263
Fax: (909) 335-3400

Ulrike Schultze
Cox School of Business
Southern Methodist University
PO Box 750333
Dallas TX 75275-0333
Email: uschultz@mail.cox.smu.edu
(214) 768-4265
Fax: (214) 768-4099