THE economy of today has evolved significantly from a managed economy into an entrepreneurial economy or a knowledge-based economy (k-economy).
Under this new phenomenon the main assets of organisations have become their stock of knowledge.Knowledge is being recognised as the primary factor on which competitive advantage rests as opposed to the traditional economies where land, labour and capital are their main production factors.
To be competitive in the knowledge-based economy, human resources have to be properly organised and
developed.
One of the aspects an organisation has to consider is its ability to mobilise all the individual potentials to be highly independent and, at the same time, cordially interdependent.
The ability to harmonise these important requirements is indeed the great challenge for a knowledge-based organisation.
Konosuke Matsushita is right in his opinion that to survive and be competitive today, the organisation must be able to mobilise and co-ordinate the creative intelligence of every single working person. Indeed, this principle is the key to all success.
In the working reality, individual workers normally bring two sets of knowledge skills to their work–technical knowledge skills and interpersonal knowledge skills.
These two kinds of knowledge skills are highly relevant and required.
Emphasising only technical skills among workers may not develop a healthy working environment. To mobilise 100% participation, greater emphasis will have to be given to well-developed interpersonal skills.
This view that interpersonal skills are important for a high and productive contribution of human resources in the organisation is very much in tandem with Islamic teachings.
The Quran has pronounced all mankind as one and compared it to a single organic entity in which the individual cannot do without the others and vice versa. Each, by nature, is essential to the other.
This unitary view provides a dynamic director for good teamwork in an organisation.
Islam gives a clear and definitive explanation about man. It regards man as the best of all creations.
Allah says: “We have indeed created man in the best of moulds. Them do we abase him (to be) the lowest of the low, except such as believe and do righteous deeds.” (Quran 95:4-6)
To enable an organisation to strengthen interpersonal relationships among all individual workers, the following actions should be emphasised:
Firstly, all individuals in the organisation should adopt the motto: “Together we improve our performance and together we share our reward.”
Gaining a competitive edge among individuals is not to exploit others but to help others emerge from a situation of laggardness in quality performance.
Secondly, teamwork is developed through a sound and healthy relationship based on covenantal understanding through sincere feelings, trust in one another, intimacy or brotherhood as required by Islam.
In Islam there is a golden rule to the effect: “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”
Human relationships solely based on legalistic and contractual requirements cannot lead to genuine co-operation and teamwork.
This is because such relationships will contribute significantly to hypocritical practices. Thirdly, Islam insists that individuals should strengthen their spiritual development through proper knowledge and exercises.
Spiritual knowledge has to be guided by divine instructions.To be progressive, individually and collective, men by nature need to work hard for spiritual upliftment. Spiritual needs are part of the human requirement.
Islam lays great emphasis on its followers to be sincere in their relationship with others. This includes work responsibilities. Sincerity in human relationships can only be nurtured if one is sincere to God.
It is a very tall order to develop sincerity in human relationships in a spiritual vacuum.
Love for Allah promotes the development of good intentions and practices in human behaviour.Without spiritual development within our workers, it may not be possible to develop strong teamwork in an organisation.
In our quest to be a competitive economy in the present millennium, it is correct for us to give great importance for the development of knowledge-based economy.
This approach of ours should be comprehensive enough to equally explore the importance of developing all aspects of knowledge that can contribute to better skills, not only in technical knowledge skills but, more significantly, in interpersonal knowledge skills.