1. Managing Information Flow

Systems must be in place to manage, control, and coordinate all the information that is available, decide which information should not be released, and which can or should be released.

Once it has been determined that information is to be released, the next question is: To whom should it be released?

 This is followed by: How should it be released?

Knowledge, Data, and Information

Before we talk about managing information flow, let’s talk about the differences between data, information, and knowledge. They are not the same thing, even though some people use these terms almost interchangeably.

• Data: Here are some data, a collection of random facts and observations: three inches of rain, 527,942 widgets, purple, last month, Tuesday, nine, 27 percent, Human Resources, shirt, 87, €79.57, Max, 14 percent, reams, green tie, Friday.
• Information: Once you put data into some sort of context, you have information. There was three inches of rain last night. There are 527,942 widgets sitting in the warehouse, each with a retail value of €79.57. There is a 27 percent profit on each widget sold. Max wore a green tie with a purple shirt Friday. Nine people were sick Tuesday. Human resources used 87 reams of paper last month, 14 percent more than the previous month.
• Knowledge: This is valuable data and information. It comes from finding value in what we have observed, collected, and assembled over time, thanks to experience, training, communication, or inference—or any combination of them.

These distinctions are important because you have to decide what it is you are managing, and what to do with it once you have it. At times, data and information are knowledge. At other times they are not. When you are managing information, however, you are also managing data and knowledge. Each has potential value. That value is established by your organization, your department, your job; by what your organization can do with it, and by what others outside of your organization could do with it if they had it.

Information Flow Systems

            Information flow is simply the movement of information from one point to another, over time. One way to think of it is as an assembly line. Raw material enters the system, usually as data. It is assembled into information and, at times knowledge, and is then moved to a storage facility, like a warehouse.  

Dissemination storage and facilities: Information is a commodity, and as such you have to keep track of it. Think of it in terms of an information inventory. Where is it kept? Where is the information coming from? Who has access to it? How is it actually moved out? Who is responsible for moving it? What records—more information—are to be kept about information that has been released?

Dissemination procedures: Unless you decide to supply any information asked for to anyone who asks for it, and allow everyone in the organization to do the same, there are two basic approaches to controlling the flow: centralized management, with one person or department in charge, or distributed management, which means any number of people or departments can hand out information. A third alternative, combined dissemination, combines the two.

Centralized Dissemination: With one department in charge of handing out all information you have:

• Advantages: consistency of style, direct control, more accuracy, efficient use of personnel and resources, reduced risk, less need for training, and a greater sense of the “big picture.”   

• Disadvantages: Less responsiveness, more potential for bottlenecks and delays; it can be seen as being restrictive or censoring, and, as a rule, soon becomes conservative about what it will release.

Distributed Dissemination: Information can be released by whichever department, division, or section, has it. This too has: 

• Advantages: Spreads the workload, more responsive, more flexibility, more accurate and current, individual departments “control” their own information.

• Disadvantages: Less efficient, less consistent, requires regular and effective liaison with other departments handing out information to prevent problems and conflicts, has less sense of the “big picture.”

Combined Dissemination: In a combined system under one overall management team, a organization can decide for itself which information should come from which sources, who has the final say, and who has overall control. Once such a system is in place, it is easier to make necessary changes than it would be to switch from either centralized to distributed or distributed to centralized. Combined systems have a built-in flexibility that allows them to adapt more quickly to changing needs or goals.

Assignments

See also :

Blocking The Flow of information

E-learning

Testing and Evaluation 

Communication and Knowledge Management

Overview   “Who am I?”   We have all asked ourselves that question thousands of times, and we will probably keep asking it. There are many different answers to that question. In this module, we will focus on it as it applies to your professional life. One key element is the image you present to the world. We will look at how to analyze your own image, and decide if it really is the one by which you want the world to judge you.

Creating Your Organizational Voice and Image

Analyze your audience  - The better you know and understand your audience, the people you will be dealing with, the better your chances are of having a successful project/programme purpose relationship with them. Doing some homework, some basic research, before you actually meet them saves time, and puts you at a distinct advantage.

What Do They Want and Expect to See  - Part of the process of getting to know your audience, whether it is internal or external, is getting to know what it is they need, want, or expect from you, and why. You also want to figure out what they are really looking for, even when they are not sure. The next question is whether you have it to give them, and if so, how.

Non-verbal Image When we talk about nonverbal image we are talking about the messages you send out without actually saying anything and the ones you receive that have little or no dialogue attached to them. All communication—verbal and nonverbal—is in code. As we will see, there are three primary types of nonverbal codes.

Cultural Image  How close we stand to someone can make them feel comfortable or threatened. If they feel threatened, they can think of us as being threatening, imposing, aggressive, and definitely unpleasant. The distance depends upon the culture of the person you are talking to. There are similar cultural rules about how we address people, how loudly we speak, and whether we should bow or shake hands. All of these affect the image we create.

Ability to Communicate The image you have right now is probably one of the reasons why you are where you are in the organizational hierarchy in terms of your career and professional development. Improving your image as a communicator—the way people judge your written and oral presentations—will play a major factor in your ability to advance.

Is your Image Really You?  While we all want to present the best image of ourselves that we can, it is important to present as best you are able: “Who are you, really?” Before you can honestly answer that question, you have to be able to take a good look at what the rest of the world sees and hears when you walk into a room and start talking.

Knowledge, Preparation and Organization  In many ways, “you” are your organization. When you represent your organization, you are creating the impression—the image—that many people will have of it. That image will shape how they deal with you and with the organization, and what they will tell others about you and the organization.

Comfort Level  Your comfort level in a meeting or project/programme purpose situation is often in direct proportion to your knowledge, preparation, and organization. If you do not feel comfortable, if you feel stressed, it could mean that you are not as ready for the meeting as you should be, or would like to be. Stress can damage your health; your social, family, and professional relationships; your ability to work effectively.

Meeting the Media The rules are the same for meeting the media as they are for meeting anyone else—only more so. The way you “meet” them will establish your image in their minds, and also the image of your organization. The media is your gateway to the rest of the world. While you can reach the world directly through advertising and marketing, if you want your organization to be covered as news—either as hard news or as a news feature—you have to convince the media’s gatekeepers that you have a story worth telling their viewers, listeners or readers.