Essentials of Knowledge Management

3.5. Knowledge Worker Loyalty

One of the corporation's major intangible assets, and one that can be enhanced through knowledge worker management, is knowledge worker loyalty. Although loyalty is difficult to quantify exactly, knowledge worker behavior that is consistent with loyalty can be quantified. This behavior can be modeled by considering factors that positively and negatively affect behaviors associated with loyalty, such as a worker continuing in a relationship with the corporation even when competing companies offer greater compensation for comparable work.

The issue of knowledge worker loyalty to the corporation typically arises when management is considering whether to invest additional resources in a particular knowledge worker or group of knowledge workers. In the computerized knowledge economy, where someone with knowledge and skills in demand can work from virtually anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection, the issue of loyalty is an important one.

Knowledge worker loyalty can be assessed by modeling loyalty based on the positive and negative contributors to behaviors shown in Exhibit 3.3. Positive contributors to knowledge worker loyalty include difficulty locating alternative employment, the emotional bond between the knowledge worker and the company, the knowledge worker's investment of time in the company, and compensation. For example, the greater the difficulty locating alternative employment, the greater the loyalty effect. Similarly, the more ...