UNDERSTANDING KNOWLEDGE WORK AND THE PERFORMANCE

POTENTIAL OF ITS COMPUTERIZATION

CASE IBM’S WATSON

Pekka LampeltoMaster’s Thesis (2013)

Supervisor: Dr. Kari LohivesiManagement and Organization

University of TampereLink: https://tampub.uta.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/94436/GRADU-1381326360.pdf?sequence=3

University of Tampere

In short• Method: Thematic interview and grounded

theory• Sample: 5 knowledge workers• Results: – formulation of a knowledge work task typology – construction of a framework for knowledge

work agent’s capabilities– analysis of IBM Watson's performance

potential in various knowledge work task types

Analysis of jobs, roles and tasks of 5 knowledge workers

Formulation of a knowledge work task typology

Knowledge work task typology

Analytical tasks:• Checking and

approving / disapproving

• Investigating • Gathering data and

information • Monitoring • Recognizing patterns

and possibilities • Scheduling• Testing programs• Using analyzing tools

to create information and insights

• Visual analysis

Synthetical tasks• Evaluating and

deciding • Generating ideas and

alternative solutions • Hypothesizing

Communicative tasks

• Answering questions • Delegating • Directing discussion• Discussing and

deciding together• Information

disseminating • Explaining knowledge • Persuading and

negotiatingPrompting people

• Requesting information

Operative tasks

• Handling sudden problems / fire fighting

• Making changes in systems

• Operating machines• Compiling documents

A framework for knowledge work agent’s capabilities

Comparison of humans and IBM Watson

Analysis of IBM Watson’s knowledge work task capability coverage in

the framework of knowledge work task typology

• Most benefits in• Answering questions• using analyzing tools to create information and insights • information disseminating

• Least benefits in• directing discussion • persuading and negotiating • discussing and deciding together

Business implications• Computerizing knowledge work may become one of the most important

competitiveness-driving factors for companies as technology develops to enable it – Especially in knowledge intensive organizations that rely highly on knowledge

workers• Because certain high-level knowledge work roles and tasks can currently

be performed only by a small number of knowledge workers, introduction of artificially intelligent computer systems can enhance high-skill knowledge workers’ effectiveness through outsourcing some of their more mundane tasks to the computer systems.

• To model and computerize different types of knowledge work, knowledge work tasks should be recorded in various ways to produce data. From the data, automatized computer systems capable of learning can be developed and introduced to business processes.

• Knowledge work should be studied on an economy level as well. The unit of research in this should be at task-level, process-level, and cognitive-level, rather than at job-level.

Thank you!- Link to thesis: https://tampub.uta.fi/handle/10024/94436

Pekka Lampelto