Knowmads: Workers Of The Present And The Future

With globalization, new forms of communication, technological innovations and various forms of work emerge. It is what has a situation of integration and change on a large scale, which influences all facets of life as well as all levels of social organization.

Thus, economic, technological, political and social advance, in some way, has forced us to create a new way of relating through digital communication and, with this, distance work has originated.

Today, it is possible to work thousands of miles from the office or from home. A new work reality is present for many professionals. It is a labor scene that has created a new style of workers: the knowmads.

The knowmads are the workers of the present and of the future. Because in addition to being on the rise today, possibly your work style will become the way of working of the future.

Now who are they? What are their characteristics? What does this term mean and where did it come from? Why is this a revolutionary work style? Has this phenomenon already been investigated? We will solve all these questions throughout this article!

Who are the knowmads and how did the term originate?

The term  knowmad was created and popularized from a TED talk by John Moravec, a professor and researcher at the University of Minnesota. He defined knowmad as an entrepreneurial person who sells his knowledge creatively.

Moravec was the editor and lead author of the Knowmad Society book . In it, he explores future learning at work, value networks, and the emergence of knowmads as beings of innovation at work in the 21st century.

Now, the word k nowmad comes from the combination in English of two words : the first is know , which means ‘to know’ and the second nomad , which means ‘nomad’. Therefore, its meaning is ‘nomads of knowledge’. Although in some Spanish-speaking places, they prefer to call it “knowmadas”.

In short, it is a trend that is emerging strongly and that, every time, is more popular. In addition, they are classified as a social group among the different types of nomads of the 21st century.

Features knowmads

The main characteristic of knowmads could be summarized in their ability to adapt to different contexts. They are tolerant people with a lot of mental flexibility. Now, some of the most representative characteristics of this type of worker are the following:

• Creative The  knowmads  are constantly generating new ideas and seeking new perspectives.
• Apprentices They view every obstacle as teaching and are passionate about continuing education.
• Come past failure. They do not tend to get frustrated or dwell in frustration. They are resilient people, who see failure as a window to explore new routes that lead to knowledge and success.
• Of any age. Being  knowmad is  not about something limited; It can refer to any person, of any origin and of any age.
• Motivated The knowmads  are professionals who want to contribute their talent and knowledge to an organization or their own venture project.
• Dynamic They are active people, who are in constant movement. They are continually acquiring new techniques and searching for new information.

• Collaborative. The  knowmads  are empathic people who work together. In fact, it is said of them that they can work with almost anyone. Wonderful, right?
• Intuitive. They have a special ability to perceive, know and understand something immediately.
• They have digital skills. They are people who are at the forefront of the digital age. They know how to move in this world and they use it to obtain great benefits.

Thanks to knowmads, we have a broader and more flexible perspective on the worker. They differ from classic workers, above all, because they can be of any age, due to their adaptability, intuition and creativity.

On the other hand, despite the fact that the phenomenon of knowmads  is relatively recent, there are already several research studies and books that talk about the subject. Here are two important examples to dig deeper:

• Knowmads. Workers of the Future  (2015). It is a book written by Raquel Roca, a Spanish journalist who studied at the Complutense University of Madrid. In his book he shows us how to manage change and how to approach it from a nomadic perspective, as well as the need for companies to reinvent themselves. It explains what a knowmad is, how to become one of them and how the companies of the future will have to adapt to changing times.
• Structural changes in organizations and the appearance of a new job profile: knowmads . In this article, Cristina Cruz Contreras shows us how ICT and the new “ knowmad” job profile have influenced the modification of company administration. In addition, to explain this phenomenon, he makes a broad overview of the evolution of the organization of companies from the Industrial Society to the Postindustrial.

Benefits of being a knowmad

Being  knowmad is  equivalent to having your own and different lifestyle. Thus, some of its benefits are:

• Work from anywhere. The business is based on online platforms .
• Live off your passion. The  knowmad  is dedicated to what he likes and looks for a way to make a living from it.
• Flexibility. Most knowmads set their own hours and place of work.
• Power of choice. They choose where to work and with whom to do it.

Perhaps it could be one more type of teleworker, but with very marked differences. Not all teleworkers have this lifestyle that allows them to adapt to any environment.

As we can see, the knowmads show us a new way of working. These work chameleons teach us new strategies to get along in a job, as well as how to create a more flexible lifestyle in which we work on what we know and like.