The professionalization of knowledge Management
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Management which occurred in 364 jobs Analyst which occurred in 200 jobs Security which occurred in 142 jobs Consultant which occurred in 112 jobs Architect which occurred in 99 jobs Knowledge which occurred in 97 jobs Project which occurred in 93 jobs Systems which occurred in 79 jobs Data which occurred in 68 jobs Risk which occurred in 38 jobs Content which occurred in 28 jobs Intelligence which occurred in 21 jobs The education requirements listed for knowledge management jobs were similarly advanced. A bachelors degree was the minimum requirement. Master’s degrees were highly coveted for knowledge workers and many job descriptions indicated MBAs as the preferred graduate degree. If an MBA or related degree was not held, the descriptions required some degree of business experience. Ph.D.s were appreciated, but not required or requested by many of the jobs. In lieu of a Ph.D., many of the jobs would accept a master’s degree plus a designated amount of years of experience. Specialty jobs, in fields such as law, engineering, and finance, also listed specialty requirements relevant to their particular field. Project management jobs wanted applicants that were PMI or PMP certified, information security jobs desired candidates with CISSP certification, and tax-related jobs wanted potential employees to have CPA certification. The nature of these certifications reflects the multifaceted skills and characteristics coveted in knowledge professionals. Almost all the jobs were listed with experience requirements, ranging between 1 and 14 years of experience. The most common experience requirement was 5 years, occurring in 45% of the jobs that listed experience requirements. Many of the jobs not only required experience with knowledge management specifically, but also required experience within the industry in which the job was categorized. None of the jobs that were listed in this study were entry level positions, making the job market look very competitive for new knowledge management graduates. This, of course, is consistent with Koenig's (1999) observation that the field is and continues to be defined by senior knowledge management professionals in active practice. As KM evolved from the field of information technology, technology is a major component of knowledge management. Technology not only helps with knowledge sharing, but also with knowledge discovery, acquisition, storage and retrieval, making it an essential part of the practice of knowledge management. Knowledge management technologies are helping organizations to expand internationally, enabling them to coordinate their activities worldwide (Marwick, 2001). The Internet and information and communication technologies enable organizations to share knowledge about their own company and their competition (Al-Hawamdeh & Ritter, 2000). The most-frequently named technological applications listed in the job descriptions were Microsoft Office, SQL Server, and Project Server, Java, XML, Unix, Linux, and Oracle, SharePoint, and Verity. Certain applications were also required for some jobs, and some jobs required the applicant to have the ability to program their own applications. This analysis found that knowledge managment positions were advertised as being located in 37 of the 50 states, including California, New York, Texas, Virginia and Florida, with the majority in large cities and areas in which many Fortune 500 corporations are also located. Finally, from the 1200 job descriptions, 1100 unique job skills were collected.Table 2 represents each of the subcategories within the major categories and the percentages of skills in each category. Table 2 Job Skills Categories Relevant to KM Positions
The knowledge management specific categories of KM Practices, Processes, and Technologies are combined to form the largest skills category, totaling just over 23%. These major categories include sub-categories of skills such as KM Design and Development Services, Knowledge Management Strategies, Global KM Networks, the KM Processes of Knowledge Discovery, Capture, Organization, Sharing, and Retention, and the KM Technology skills.The KM Technologies category included a variety of skills, some specific to KM and others specific to IT. Sub-categories of Knowledge Management Tools and Technologies and Knowledge Sharing Technologies are specific to knowledge management, though the fact that KM evolved from IT is obvious in this area. Knowledge professionals implement technologies to help the organization capture, organize, and share its knowledge resources, so skills in technology are imperative for knowledge professionals. All of the above skills were the most coveted and sought-after skills for hiring organizations, as they essentially define the knowledge management-specific competencies. The sub-categories of the major categories also included some similarities. Consulting services, design and development strategies, and determining best practices were common skills to appear as sub-categories of each category. Many of the sub-categories were specific to the major category, but not specific to knowledge management. Other sub-categories included more generic skills, such as Analysis, Leadership, and Training. The sub-categories are a reflection of the diverse requirements of knowledge professionals. Table 3 KM Practices, Processes, and Technologies Job Skill Categorization and Examples
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