“That’s out of my pay scale.”
“I don’t get paid to think”
“I’m not authorized to do that.”
“Hmmm … That’s a bummer … I’m sure someone will fix it.”
Chances are, unfortunately, you have probably heard one of these statements from someone whose job is to help you.
It could be the person at the motor vehicle department, the woman who works in accounting, or someone on your own team. People can be pretty stubborn and sometimes bitter about what they are willing to do (despite what they are actually able to do).
I’ve recently come across a communication and knowledge management model called DIKW that is about how we act at our jobs. The acronym represents: Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom.
DIKW expresses how we process information—starting with raw data and mastering it as wisdom.
Well-operated companies are run by people who know how to act and react in different business situations. They have a level of wisdom.
- They know how to swiftly remedy varying customer complaints.
- They know how to build a marketing promotions that successfully connect customers with products/services.
- They know how to create or change product and services to meet customer needs.
Presented below are the elements of DIKW–slightly modified to meet our marketing/business needs.
Data
Data are the raw facts. A description of the pieces of the puzzle, but not understanding what the picture is. An employee notices something happening, but it pretty much stops there.
Information
Information is data prepared/presented in a meaningful way–with context. Information involves understanding how different pieces of data connect to each other. An employee sees water (what) on the floor (where), drips (what) currently (when) falling from (where) the overhead pipe (what). They conclude there is a leaky pipe. Hopefully, they’ll forward this information to someone.
Knowledge
Knowledge is acting on information. Data and information are combined; understood and proper action is taken. The “how” is figured out and applied.
Wisdom
Wisdom is understanding “why” and instinctively knowing how to act and react.
As an employee becomes more seasoned, and grows in their job role they gain more wisdom. Unfortunately, as I started this article, some choose not to apply their wisdom (but that’s a topic for a different post).
What can you do to empower your employees and co-workers to do more than inform and apply knowledge to act? (Early in my career a boss taught me, “Don’t bring me problems. Bring me solutions.”)
How can you develop employees to use wisdom to prevent problems? How far along the DIKW scale are you, your employees, and team members?
Read more about DIKW on Wikipedia and this article by Gene Bellinger.
Tags: customer service, Marketing
Unfortunately, the problems you are talking about are more corporate culture than personal responsibility. My experience is that they start off wanting to bring solutions to their boss rather than problems. They want to be proactive, but are often shut down my supervisors and after time they just stop. In this case the wisdom they learn is to act in a risk adverse manner. Don’t create waves, don’t present ideas that have any risk of failure, and don’t go against the established rule and company culture.
For most of my carrier I have been a vendor to large companies and just a handful actually foster innovation. This is matter of leadership, not data. While I am all for the model you explained it won’t work until the leadership of a company truely embraces innovation, risk taking and empowering staff. When an employee says “That’s out of my pay scale” what they really mean is “I have tried this before, but it got me in trouble”.
Hi, Paul. When I was a teacher many years ago, we always said that a school was as good as its principal. It works the same way in any organizational culture, too. If the CEO fosters employee input and innovation and rewards those who engage in the process (monetarily or otherwise), then employees have more incentive to feel ownership and act upon it.
Hi Paul,
Well done for putting this article forward in a marketing and customer care environement. It is a lovely model to present to clients with customer care issues as it will allow them to unpack the issues their staff or customers are experiencing in a structured manner. In a way that will remove the emotion and hopefully get to the root of any issue.
I find the responses you received disturbing as it epitomises what you are highlighting as a cause of poor customer service. ie “it’s not my problem, it is my leader, manager, supervisor’s fault. I can’t do anything about it because they were mean to me.” there are definitely those situations out there, and they might be in the majority, but if everyone just gives up, we would all be living in a very dark world. I will definitely use this model in my consulting work. thank you.
regards
Jen
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