Firms seek human capital

September 2, 1996: 4:15 p.m. ET

Chief knowledge officers latest hiring trend as training needs increase
From Correspondent Kelli Arena

WASHINGTON (CNNfn) - As companies poured money to keep up with perpetually evolving technology, many overlooked investments in human capital and paid the price.
     "There was such a huge investment in technology, but there wasn't much thought given to what to do with it once you get it," said Maureen Minehan, human resource management. "You have all this technology that allows you to acquire information, but you need to have a plan once you acquire it, who uses it and how you disseminate it to your market and employees."
     That lack of vision helped spawn a career for Ellen Knapp. She calls herself a chief knowledge officer, and companies like Coopers & Lybrand, General Electric and Coca-Cola are finding her indispensable.
     More companies are realizing that brainpower is the only assets that gives then an edge, particularly in this high-tech information age, and are creating executive-level positions for CKOs to oversee training in the use of new technology.
     With companies constantly downsizing and outsourcing, employers are finding it more important than ever to train their workers for more tasks.
     Knapp says turning human assets into intellectual assets is the key to a companies' success. (356K WAV) or (356K AIF)
     And more corporation seem to agree with her.