Knowledge Nomads

Todd L. Pittinsky, Harvard University, and Margaret J. Shih, University of Michigan, use the metaphor "Knowledge Nomads" to present the idea that mobile workers are capable of building meaningful commitments to and relationships with organizations. This is different from the view that sees mobile workers as itinerant wanderers, moving frequently with no commitment to the organizations where they work or conduct other activities. Pittinsky and Shih re-conceptualize the relationship between worker commitment and worker mobility and put it in a positive light.

Reference

Knowledge Nomads: Organizational Commitment and Worker Mobility in Positive Perspective. In American Behavioral Scientist, Vol. 47, No. 6, 791-807 (2004).

Comments

[Melissa J. Jones]

Our associate, sociology professor Jerrald D. Krause, comments, "I suspect that diverse kinds of factors underlie the rise of knowledge nomadism. Generational/cultural changes-related factors (increasing self-focus, and emphasis on individual uniqueness) and economics-derived factors, including technological, such as downsizing-stimulated layoffs and the rise of the internet both underlie it. The diverse factors are part of the mix of postmodern, global society. Regardless, of whether the source is internal or external, the nomadic journeys of individuals are still marked by inflection points (epiphany events and other turning points a la Norman Denzin) where guidance is needed."