Do You Have The Right Information Policy In Your Company?
A manager related on a recent management training course how he received 23 reports
that he didn't understand, and that were not understood by the report writers! This is not uncommon, yet all managers need information to manage effectively. Accurate and timely information is one of the key resources companies have. There is a well known saying that goes 'information is power'. This saying is more true today than it ever was. It is only possible to have effective managers if the company has an effective information policy.
There are a number of ways in which information policy is approached in organisations, each with their associated advantages and disadvantages. These can be explained by five models. Take a look at the descriptions of these models and decide which model best describes your information policy.
Model 1 is known as technocratic utopianism. In many companies information policy continues to have a strong technological orientation. It is left in the hands of a few specialists who see themselves as the guardians of information. Their goal is to create an information infrastructure which supplies each employee with the right information on their computer screen.
There is the risk that big databases are being constructed which contain large quantities of data. Behind this is the myth that the right technology can solve every problem.
The result of having a technocratic utopianism information policy is that any employee not playing a direct part in the creation of this information infrastructure rarely uses this system. It is generally far too complicated and overloaded to be able to work with.
A sure sign of this type of information policy is the regular promise that after the installation of the new hardware/software/new network/new database and more management training, managers and employees will be able to get the precise information that they need.
Model 2 is known as the anarchy approach. One of the main causes of information anarchy is the spread of personal computers: departments or individual employees have their own databases and their own information processing techniques and everybody uses and processes their data a little differently.
The disadvantages of this model are obvious. No one has access to the information of others, because there is no unitary system. There is no central point which accumulates all the information.
Model 3 is known as the feudal system. In this model it is generally middle management that is in charge of procuring, saving, analysing and disseminating information. Middle managers decide how to interpret the information and which reports are distributed to senior management. In principle, there is no chance of company management making decisions based on unfiltered and objective information. Often key data about the economic climate or financial situation of the company is not disseminated.
Feudal systems flourish particularly in strongly de-centralised companies. If individual business areas pursue their own strategies, specifically critical information is not passed upwards.
Model 4 is known as monarchy. Operating a monarchy system is the most practical solution for eliminating feudal systems. The manager, or someone appointed by the manager, dictates the rules of information policy. The power is centralised and business areas and departments have no influence over the matter.
A prudent and enlightened 'monarch' will try to rationalise and standardise information policy, in order to work in a particularly economic way. The monarch determines which information is to be accumulated, in which form it is processed and by whom, where it should be saved and what it should be used for. Many large companies have organised their information policy in a monarchy system.
Model 5 is known as the federal system. A distinguishing feature of the federal system is the use of negotiation which is used to resolve competing or apparently unreconcilable interests. Companies which operate a federal system for their information policy have a corporate culture which encourages co-operation and a willingness to learn.
At IBM, a federal information system was introduced by Larry Ford, former head of the Corporate Information Services department. He started by formulating an information policy for the entire company, which he then negotiated with the individual department managers. He did this by asking questions such as:
Would you make available your information on product quality to the service people and the sales department? Which information would you prefer to keep to yourselves?"
It proved difficult during the negotiations to make 'information holders' into 'information givers'. This was undoubtedly due to them thinking that being the 'holders of information (power)' they were more secure in their position within the company. Once their information was widely available they no longer felt in control. A large amount of management training was required to overcome this barrier.
by: Richard Stone
Information Relevant To Options Town Cheap Inns In Diverse Places Basic Information Sightseers Should Check Out To Spend A Tremendously Unforgettable All Inclusive Me General Fencing Info For 3 Common Fences The way you can Remove InfoDoctor - How To Remove InfoDoctor Quickly Information of pyxism pro office Let Umbrellas Fly Your Info Info On Toenail Fungus Information Tea: January 5 News Easy To See Machinery Industry A FORMALIDADE DA PAIXĂO E A INFORMALIDADE DO AMOR Koi Fish Information - Rainbow In a Pond! Residence Solution Digestive tract Cleanse - Information You Ought to Know Information Regarding Options Space Needle Cheap Inns At Different Town Koi Fish Information