One of the most hotly debated
blogs from my FOW series (well apart from the blog on executive pay of course)
has been my prediction that the future will herald the age of the specialist.
Remember my observation of my 16 year old son’s creation of a passable university
degree level essay on bird flu from a couple of hours spent on Wikipedia and
diving into an assortment of medical journal articles? The argument goes that
these broad generalist skills will simply not be as valuable as specialist
skills, since so many people have access to the same information. In fact I
used the word ‘serial mastery’ to show how we need to slide or move from one
area of specialism to another.
I want to return to
the debate about specialism and mastery again – but this time through the lens
of the craftsman. And specifically to look at the issue through the lens
provided by the LSE/Columbia based sociologist Richard Sennett and his 2008
book The Craftsman. Richard is taking
a backwards rather than a forward look at to the life of the craftsman. Yet
when we consider the sorts of mastery and specialism that’s going to be key to
the future of work – then I believe we will see the return of craftsmanship and
so we have much to learn from their experiences.
Skilled Repetition Craft based work is created through a trained practice
that requires the craftsman to go over an action again and again. With each
repetition the content changes as the craftsman becomes more skilled- what
Sennett describes as a kind of circularity, ‘the virtue of repeated practice’
eventually leading to an embodied knowledge. In these communal actions, tacit knowledge, unspoken and codified words
were absorbed.
…with regard to the
future of work: where and how will these repetitions take place?
Workshops, Guilds and Communal Rituals In the Middle Ages craftsmen slept, ate and raised their children in the
place in which they worked – places where labour and life mixed face- to- face.
These workshops were organized into systems of guilds, which served as the
hands-on transmission of the craft, or the ‘knowledge capital’ that was the
economic power of the guild – the guilds also served to establish the
requirements for selection and promotion.
…with regard to the future
of work: how will these guilds develop? , and what will be the mechanisms by
which they are held together in a virtual world (see my earlier blog on virtual
guilds for some ideas about this)
Apprentices, Journeymen and Masters Craft development began with an apprenticeship typically lasting for
seven years with the costs borne by the young person’s parents. If successful,
now a journeyman, the craftsmen would work for another five to ten years before
demonstrating mastery.
…with regard to the
future of work: what will be the means by which these apprenticeships are
served?
Personal Reputation, Trust and Personal
Distinction This was considered the most important
obligation of a craftsman and the guilds provided a frame to establish their
probity. Their prosperity depended on their making a name for their goods –
with an evermore personal sign of distinction. Typically the craftwork changed
slowly as a result of the collective effort.
…with regard to the
future of work: how does personal reputation, ‘brand me’ become formed?