1. Knowledge work and stress – beyond the job-strain model
Associate professor Anders Buch, Ph.D.
& associate professor Vibebe Andersen

2. The problem and the paradox
Reports of knowledge works (engineers, lawyers, reporters, etc.) suffering from work related stress
Do they (really) suffer from work related stress?
What is knowledge work and who are the knowledge workers?
Can we understand the phenomenon within existing stress theories?
How should ‘stress amongst knowledge workers’ be construed?
Reports from an ongoing research project:
Knowledge work and stress – between enthusiasm and strain

3. What is knowledge work and who are the knowledge workers?
highly qualified individuals doing knowledge-based work, using intellectual and symbolic skills in work
a fairly high degree of autonomy and the downplaying of organisational hierarchy
the use of adaptable, ad hoc organizational forms
the need for extensive communication for coordination and problem-solving
Idiosyncratic client services
Information and power asymmetry (often favouring the professional over the client)
Subjective and uncertain quality assessment
M. Alvesson 2004:21

4. What is knowledge work and who are the knowledge workers?
Symbol analysts (Reich) – intangible work
Creative class (Florida) – creativity – open ended
Professionals
Expertise
etc.
“Knowledge work” & “knowledge workers” are vague concepts
Who owns the concept? Who should be excluded / included?
Is knowledge work special? Is it a meaningful category?

5. Knowledge work as a heuristic category
Personnel are highly qualified and have professional backgrounds (i.e. academic or comparable pre-employment training and education)
Products and services are complex and/or non-standard
product, market, and personnel development are significant activities within the organisation

6. The job-strain model (Karasek & Theorell 1990:32)
Psychological demands
Learning
Motivation to
Develop new
Behaviour Patterns
Low
strain
HIGH
Active
Decision
latitude
(control)
High
strain
LOW
Passive
Risk of psychological strain
and physical illness
LOW
HIGH

7. Types of stress problems
Classical stress problems
New classical stress problems
Modern stress problems
Type of work
Industrial work
Welfare work
Knowledge work
Stressors
Monotony
High pace
Low control
High strain
Emotional demands
Conflicts
Boundlessness
Unlimited demands
Unpredictability
Examples of job categories
Cashier
Unskilled industrial workers
Nurses
Teachers
Welfare workers
Computer engineers
Advertising agents
Government officers
Ref.: Bason et al. 2003

8. Focus group interviews
2 Consulting engineering firms
1 News paper
1 Production company (marketing department)
1Trade union (lawyers)
1 Municipality (administrative officers)
Knowledge workers: engineers, biologists, lawyers, reporters, AD’s, consultants (with social science background)

9. Results from focus group interviews
Firm 2
Firm 1
Employees on
Enthusiasm
Shop stewards/HRM discuss
Research analyses
Strain
Managers on
Enthusiasm
Strain

10. Results from the focus group interviews
Enthusiasm
High professionalism
The open-endedness of work
The creative elements in work
Personal (and professional) development
Flexible work procedures (anarchy)
The production of “results” and “products”
Autonomy of work (self organisation)
Feedback
Competing (and winning)
Challenging work
Variation in work
Strain
Bureaucratic procedures and standardisation
The unpredictability of work and work load
Bad planning
Lack of recognition
To high ambitions
Unclear quality standards
High work pace
Internal competition
Unclear KPI’s

11. The ambiguity and reflexive character of knowledge work
Knowledge work is ambiguous in relation to
Framing a knowledge domain and field of expertise
Procedures
Results / products
Interpretive flexibility and reflexivity increase with the complexity of work
Pressure on the production of self identity
Who am I?
Who do I want to become?
Where do I belong?
Am I good enough?
Is my performance OK?
Who is capable of judging my performance?

12. Knowledge work and identity production
Knowledge work and organisation
Knowledge
What people do
Results
Ambiguity
Image
Macro
Everyday
Self identity
Rhetoric
Associations
Social ties
Social process
Relations
Mats Alvesson 2004:240

13. Coping strategies in knowledge work
Archaic professionalism
Embracing professional standards and practices
Company values
Embracing bureaucracy and organisational standards/procedures
Reification
Results & products as the hallmark of success
Installing ambiguity as a resource that enables the understanding of knowledge work as a producer of strain/enthusiasm .