Organizations in the knowledge economy. An investigation of knowledge-intensive work practices across 28 European countries

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate whether the shift towards the knowledge economy (e.g. an increasing reliance in knowledge in the production of goods and services) is related to the work practices of organizations (aimed at the provision of autonomy, investments in training and the use of technology). Design/methodology/approach: The analyses are based on data about over 20,000 companies in 28 European countries. National level indicators of knowledge intensity are related to the work practices of these organizations. Multilevel analysis is applied to test hypotheses. Findings: The results show that there is a strong and positive relationship between the knowledge intensity of the economy and the use of knowledge intense work practices. Originality/value: To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first papers to test whether knowledge intensity at the national level is related to the work practices of organizations.