The concept of Artisan, like apprenticeship, are fundamental to the revolution we are witnessing. Marshall McCluhan had predicted a shift in this direction many years ago.

I have been working on and off as a computer programmer for the past 25 years. Most professional computer programmers rarely get to chose their tools. If you are in a large organization these tools are pre-selected for you.

When I got into programming I didn't realize that with time this job is very "repetitive" in nature. You end up doing the same thing over and over again so many times that you feel nauseous. Having worked in parts manufacturing I can tell you that there is not much difference. At one point, both jobs require just about no creativity. Some computer programmer just have to upgrade their skills more often, but once the upgrade is done, its back to repetitious work.

So, what I am getting at, is that many jobs that might look like "Knowledge Work" actually don't have a very high Cranial index. The training periods for these jobs might be long but still in the end there is very little place for what I call "slow reflective intelligence".

It is sometimes hard to tell who is a knowledge worker and who is isn't. But my guess is that most Artisans are actually knowledge workers and they select their tools. Others, like my mechanic, are "Thinking Workers" who constantly solve problems. They choose their tools.

Most people in administrative functions manipulate knowledge but themselves are not knowledge workers and don't control their tools.

The Artisan concept will play a big role in a knowledge economy. Would love to see discussions that lead to a better understanding of the Artisan concept.

Gilbert