Mindwork (#7)
The three primary types of cognitive work.
Knowledge Work
As I have written before, one of the hallmarks of the modern era is knowledge work. Knowledge work was originally coined by Peter Drucker in 19591, and is all about workers who work with information rather than their hands. Knowledge workers create either intellectual or informational outputs (e.g., research, accounting, etc.). The quality of those outputs are recognized due to other supporting skill sets or work (i.e., education, expertise, writing capability, etc.).
Knowledge workers essentially handle information where manual workers handle tools. Obviously, it requires unique skills. Problem-solving, for example, is a commonly cited example of knowledge work because workers use information to determine why a process is not giving you the outcome that you want. These workers apply different principles or things they know from their education or experience to manipulate the information or solve the problem (to use a mathematical idea).
Problem-solving is so valuable in today’s world because we often have more data about what went wrong with a process than we have about why it went wrong.
Answering the “why” of problems requires an analysis of the data, as well as an interpretation of what that data actually means. As we will soon see, those who are successful in this type of knowledge work are often those who use a particular approach.
Decision-making is another skill associated with knowledge work. Decision makers apply their expertise or experience; they apply models that have worked in the past or in other, similar circumstances. Knowledge workers apply their own information or consider the information from other sources so they can make a more informed (and hopefully, therefore, a better) decision.
Thus, knowledge workers could be considered anyone who is focused on the tasks that use or require information.
I’ve written before (here and here) about the difference between strategic, operational, and functional roles. Knowledge workers can be all three.
Strategic knowledge workers may use their years of experience in an industry to read and predict the marketplace. They might have education and training that helps them to come up with unique and compelling arguments for why their company needs to go in a certain direction.
Operational knowledge workers usually work in the area of systems and analysis. They review processes and tools, analyzing the effectiveness based on desired outcomes. Knowing whether the bad outcomes you have are related to production, material, or staffing processes is all part of the operational health of your organization. A knowledge worker who understands how to read the data, how to interpret it, and then how to apply those interpreted learnings is critical.
Functional knowledge workers are people who use information, sometimes in decisions, but also in the creation of things that help to complete tasks. Software development would fall into functional knowledge work. Some types of research, data analysis, accounting, or even legal counsel could be considered functional knowledge work.
Mindwork
That brings us to my perspective on what I call mindwork. Mindwork is a term that is much more at home in the therapeutic, meditative, leadership, and coaching world than the business world. In some cases, it is even seen as a spiritual practice of discipline. Mindwork is about the outcomes that are derived from the manner in which someone thinks, rather than the things produced by any old mind.
Mindwork is the manner in which a person naturally approaches and completes knowledge work, particularly the outcome desired. It is grounded in their instinctual thought, usually resulting in intellectual property, mindwork itself is intangible.
Now, it is an ugly definition at this point, but I’m working on it.2 This is the definition that I gave it in the context of trait versus skill development, and there is definitely a lot of overlap with knowledge work.
Mindwork has at least three specific subtypes, which we will explore later:
Analytical Mindwork
Creative Mindwork
Contemplative Mindwork
There is more to mindwork than simply the outcome, or their approach. The way people respond to things on an emotional, cognitive, and reflective level plays a part. It's not just using the information and applying knowledge or expertise; mindwork is also about how we manage our minds themselves.3
How we approach things and naturally think fits better in a discussion of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) than IQ. Those who employ knowledge workers may care a lot about IQ, and let’s not kid ourselves; IQ is important.4
That said, EQ is important when it comes to a lot of things, including attention management, creativity, and self-awareness. These behaviours show up in Mindwork where the outcome is really about how the associate approaches things. In popular modern context, the term that's thrown around a lot is “mindfulness.” Mindfulness is simply being aware of the way you process information.
Mindfulness only matters in knowledge work if it affects the outcome.
Knowledge work is task-driven, whereas mind work is approach-driven—or rather—the output of knowledge work is the production of things while with Mindwork the output is perspective. Let’s look at what that means, practically.
In Practice
Business leaders may be thinking, “Well, I want my workers to produce things, that's what I pay them for. I employ people to produce things.”
Of course you do. However, much of what knowledge workers actually do is related to data or information that's already been produced. Not all, but many knowledge workers, deal with information that didn’t technically originate with them. This is particularly true in a world where we have automated reporting and data up to our ears, the question is:
How do we approach the data and get what we want out of it?
Since knowledge workers are focused on solving or resolving outcomes using information as a tool, their training, education, and experience are foundational to their success. Another, often overlooked, aspect of their capability and proficiency in knowledge work is an employee’s specific individual perspective and cognition.
The way that an employee views information itself (i.e., more than just a tool) is itself an incredible asset:
Analytical mindworkers deal with information through an analytic or methodological approach. The analytical mindset (thought process) is distinct from the applied analytic (applied process). It is more measurable and is built around predictable outcomes.
Creative mindworkers deal with information through a generative or imaginative approach. The creative approach is centered on developing or creating something or solving problems in non-methodological scenarios. It is measurable (to some degree) and is built around problem-solving.
Contemplative mindworkers deal with information as transformational.5 The contemplative approach is really at the core of human cognition, and higher order thinking. It is not easy to measure and is built around the cognitive approach and expression.
Artificial Mindwork
As we'll discuss in future posts, artificial intelligence (AI) helps us increase the speed of knowledge work. Usually, AI tools can handle basic knowledge work effectively. However…
Understanding how to integrate different ideas or how to use expertise from a particular field doesn't necessarily mean that you can make the best decision.
Plus, even if an AI-informed decision is the best decision, it cannot give us the context necessary to realistically predict the market. I like the term Mindwork because it recognizes that what makes someone effective or valuable isn’t just their expertise, education, or what they happen to have published.
AI can only apply general industry expertise, using available educational information and published works. It is valuable because it can replicate those things as anyone could—given enough time and access, but it cannot replace the value individuals bring through their unique mental outlook—or how that outlook has developed over time.
You might think of AI, then, as a digital knowledge worker, which takes knowledge that already exists and refashion it, analyze it, or reorder it.
Obviously, as we have seen, knowledge work can absolutely be replaced by AI. And it is already happening. AI can accomplish most knowledge workers’ tasks, and they know it (which is probably why they are frantically learning how to use AI to keep themselves relevant).
While AI is uniquely suited to replace knowledge work, it cannot replace mindwork.
Why not? Simply put: AI tools do not have minds. Humans do.
Productivity
This is where we get to the interesting part of what Peter Drucker described in his expanded description of knowledge work. We will see just how easily AI can slip in and replace knowledge work, but also look at the ways mindwork is distinct. He argued that knowledge work productivity requires the following:
1. Answering the Question: What is the Task?
Knowledge work is centered around accomplishing a task, so the question of what the specific task is will naturally be the first step. AI can do this really well. In fact, this is one of the building blocks of AI; it does tasks. Mindwork is not, at it’s core, as concerned with the task itself, and more with the outcome. These may seem like two sides of the same coin, but they aren’t.
A simpler way to think of this is a contrast of perspective:
Task focus: “I was successful because I did all the steps correctly.”
Outcome focus: “I was successful because the customer was happy.”
If you need a better example, think about a time that you and your partner were planning to go out to eat, but they wanted you to pick where. It is very likely you’ve experienced this, and if you have, you know that even if you do complete the task (picking the restaurant), there is a good chance you will not have the desired outcome (happily sharing a good meal). Why? Because even though your partner wants you to pick the food (task), what they really want is for you to pick something that they will like (outcome).
2. Self Management
Knowledge workers need to be able to manage themselves, because the function of the work is not conducive to typical supervision. AI tools obviously need this same level of supervision, but they make up for that by dramatically reducing the time needed to accomplish the task. Mindwork is essentially self-managed as well, but the supervisory role is actually best filled by the organizational culture, rather than an individual manager or boss. Peer and company expectations help individual mindworkers to adjust their behaviour, improving their performance.
3. Continual Innovation
Knowledge work needs to continually develop, in part, because of the ongoing growth and change in how information is created, stored, and communicated. Knowledge workers of the past really needed to understand physical filing systems; now, everything is digital—and searchable. The influx of automation, including AI, is one such innovation that requires change and adjustment for knowledge work. This overlaps very well with mindwork, since mindworkers must continually develop the way they see and approach things.
4. Continuous Learning & Teaching
Due to the ongoing innovation and change, knowledge workers must keep learning and teaching others, including their peers. AI has only made this easier for knowledge workers—while at the same time making their efforts almost irrelevant. Since AI can learn more quickly and broadly than any human, knowledge workers are at a clear disadvantage. Mindwork requires this same process, however, since the development is primarily internal (e.g., adjusting perspectives and changing perspectives), it is transformational for humans and impossible for AI. AI cannot change its mind because, as we have already discussed, AI does not have a mind or opinion.
5. Quality & Quantity are Equally Important
Knowledge work requires that quality is the key, and it is here that humans tend to have the upper hand (in some cases). Sure, AI can find answers more quickly than most humans, and will be free from inaccuracies—but only in areas of exclusive certitude. That is, AI has the best quality and quantity when it has a very clear directive involving something that is known (e.g., correct grammar).
Human knowledge workers are much more consistent—or rather—predictably inconsistent enough to allow for fairly easy review. So, AI might get you better quality in pointed scenarios; its value is its speed and breadth of information, rather than its accuracy. Mindwork does not necessarily have an advantage here, but again, it is related to the approach rather than the task—so the worker can adjust based on the desired outcome and their individual strengths.
6. The Worker is Seen as an Asset, Rather than a Cost
This is one point Drucker makes that is just simply lost in the modern organization. Business leaders see knowledge workers as costly cogs that are only there to complete tasks. This is where our reliance on technology, and even AI, can really get us into trouble. If all we want is task-completion, then humans are much more expensive than AI—however, AI will always do the task, where humans may push back on a bad idea and (potentially) save us from making dumb decisions. Mindwork is not about completing tasks, and so it is much easier to remember that they are an asset, rather than a cost. The point?
Businesses are great when they have great people involved. Businesses are not great when employees are seen as a limiting factor.
Organizations that see people as a limiting factor rather than an asset will continually deal with attrition, payroll insolvency, wage growth stagnation, cultural atrophy, and, typically, financially-driven layoffs.
Conclusion
My goal here is not to argue that knowledge work is bad.
Instead, I want to show that knowledge work is about task orientation and functional delivery of specific measurable outcomes. Knowledge workers work with information towards very clear, direct goals.
As an example, a student who is asked to write a 12-page essay is being asked to complete knowledge work. The student could complete that work (task), and it could be of a high quality or a low quality. They could write it quickly, or take a very long time; however, the completion of that task is the knowledge work. All the steps they must take to complete that task are examples of different subsets of knowledge work.
It could be argued that the difference between a 12-page essay by Kafka or Freud or Hugo and a student with access to all of that literature less about their capability and experience or even their speed of knowledge work. Rather, the difference between the two is how the author thinks, which allows them to produce qualitatively different work.
This might seem like a reductive perspective on the quality of knowledge work, but it is the foundation that we must build from. Then we will be starting to construct the framework necessary to measure the productivity of mindwork itself, as well as breaking down the three subtypes of mindwork.
Peter F. Drucker (1959). The Landmarks of Tomorrow. New York: Harper and Row.
I welcome your thoughts and critques on how to improve this definition!
In this way, mindwork is arguably the way of the future; replacing the hierarchy established through formal knowledge work training and education. Ted Giola just highlighted this in the broader context of what is happening in our culture.
If you do not follow Steve Stewart-Williams, you might need to get on that. His intellectual curiosity is probably only matched by his intellectual honesty. I’ve been impressed with his commitment to recognizing replication failures.
An imporant part of contemplative mindwork is that it is arguably the causal event which drives any actual action.