P2P

53 I L T A N E T . O R G S ome aspects of knowledge work are simply innate. As ever, knowledge work can be differentiated from other forms of work by its emphasis on "non-routine" problem-solving that requires a combination of convergent and divergent thinking. For lawyers, like many other knowledge workers, the units of work they manage are large, complex, and often involve multiple people and teams. The collective intelligence amassed from collaborating across these diverse teams and projects, along with the unique expertise contributed by team members, forms an essential part of the institutional memory of an organization. Knowledge work draws on this deep level of accumulated experience and expertise combined with critical analysis and communication skills to translate documented processes into meaningful action. It brings the right information, to the right people, at the right time, to drive greater productivity and better decision making. Despite these abiding characteristics, not all aspects of knowledge work are set in stone – and that includes the settings in which the work itself takes place and how that knowledge work gets done. To ready themselves for the future of work, law firms and other knowledge industries need to modernize. Today, this modernization involves making the most of hybrid working arrangements, where only some workers are physically based in the office. In this type of environment, sharing knowledge, project status, and other key information becomes more difficult. While productivity and collaboration tools will mitigate some of these challenges, there remains a gap to be bridged – and taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise within legal, financial, or other professional organizations is only going to get more difficult, not less. The Challenges Are Real Results from independent research commissioned by iManage released in Q1 2021 identify common challenges facing the global knowledge work community. The research found that 68 percent of knowledge workers believe "the information contained in digital documents and files" is vital to their business. Respondents rated contracts, emails, and spreadsheets as the three most important sources of digital information, but just 23 percent of knowledge workers indicated that their organization is ahead of the curve in digital capabilities to support knowledge work. Meanwhile, less than 40 percent of those surveyed reported that their departments were using automation technologies of any kind when working with extremely or very important digital documents or files. "68% of knowledge workers believe 'the information contained in digital documents and files' is vital to their business."

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