Declarative vs Procedural Knowledge
Why you should learn the value in both types of knowledge
In this article I want to express how I think about types of knowledge and what level of value can be attributed to and extracted from them. Declarative vs Procedural knowledge may be akin to comparing the difference between knowing OF something and having the SKILL to actually complete that thing.
Firstly, I will define Declarative knowledge as a descriptive recipe to the completion of a task. For example, you could go online right now, and search Gordon Ramsay’s best chicken parmesan recipe, and you would then open up a website with access to the Declarative knowledge of that delicious meal. Even, if you spent every day revisiting that website and memorizing every detail of the executional process to complete the meal, the knowledge you have is still Declarative.
In contrast, Procedural knowledge, is specific knowledge gained through the ACTUAL execution of that recipe and the array of “micro-skills” required in order to complete the task. Some micro-skills that arise could be but are not limited to: adding the correct amount of spice; timing for adding the chicken to the oven; understanding your oven’s specific propensity to over (or under) cook the chicken in contrast to the time defined in the recipe and many more. These micro-skills are exponentially more valuable than the initial Declarative knowledge for the recipe, as they can be honed over the years throughout a persons’ career. Hence why a michelin star chef can command salaries far higher than your typical cook.
This isn’t to say Declarative knowledge isn’t valuable. It is valuable, especially as a form of leverage for when you are in a position of authority and can direct Procedurally-skilled workers towards the completion of an over-arching “recipe” you have defined in your business. However, Declarative knowledge coupled with the Procedural executional knowledge is really where the laws of scale get magnified. Being able to work on something AND know what to work on, can allow you to out-perform and out-compete competitors.
Declarative knowledge based workers, such as politicians, lawyers and services sector workers, can be dismissive of the value brought by Procedural workers, especially those that work in traditional blue-collar industries. This also creates some tension in my industry of technology, between the “business” people and the “engineer” people as their type of work somewhat aligns with this dichotomy. Vice versa, Procedural knowledge workers can also be dismissive of the value brought by Declarative workers, as they recognize progress more concretely in moving features forward, and perhaps not appreciating the value brought by understanding the customer needs and converting them (accurately) into a user story “recipe”.
To conclude, there is value in Declarative knowledge from it’s ability to outline the bird’s eye view of execution. By zooming out, one can see what others miss when focused on the details. There is also value in Procedural knowledge from breaking through the difficult, but often hidden barriers of real execution. By zooming in, one can see what others miss when focused on the big picture. Together, you have a state of effective tension in order to generate real value in the world by building great products with real utility.