Problem-Solving
Writers who connect information literacy with workplace information realities emphasize that information literacy is central to problem-solving. And problem-solving is central to the success of the enterprise.
Leu and Kinzer note that "high-performance workplaces value people with problem-solving skills."(1)
Some writers point to the fact that in today's tight labor market, companies can't afford to throw more people after a problem; by contrast, they have to rethink processes, and, to be successful, have to bring employees in at the very beginning of the problem-solving process. (2)
Texas Instruments, in its recruitment flyers, indicates that ideal candidates will have "problem-solving skills." A frequently used criterion for employee evaluation is that the employee is a positive player in structured problem-solving activities.
Problem-solving is part of the suite of essential job-related skills of which employees themselves are aware; it's referred to by several individuals in the Workplace Quotations I collected (see especially quotations 4, 10, and 15).
(1) Donald J. Leu and Charles K. Kinzer, "The Convergence of Literacy Instruction with Networked Technologies for Information and Communication," Reading Research Quarterly vol. 35, no. 1, January/February/March 200, p. 113.
(2) "Benefits Abound in Full Employment" [Editorial] Capital District Business Review, vol. 26, no. 26, 4 October 1999, p. 18.
Investigating
Information Age Realities in the World of Work
