Whose Information is it Anyway? An Argument for Information Stewardship.
Abstract
Information is an important resource for businesses and government, with information quality influencing decision quality, and highlighting our need to manage our information well: as a resource. Information Resource Management (IRM) has as its goal the management of information as a resource, but has not been implemented with the level of success expected. Problems with the implementation of IRM are indicated by the presence of redundant or inconsistent data, inability to share information across systems, and difficulty finding the information on systems. We propose that these difficulties are related to behaviours linked to perceived ownership of corporate information by organisational sub-units. To evaluate the proposition, we performed a case study on an organisation to see if we could identify the presence of problems, and the presence of the ownership behaviours. The case study revealed the presence of both problems with information management and behaviours related to ownership. To improve the management of information in organisations, we recommend that organisations take ownership of the information resource at the corporate executive level, and educate users of the information on the benefits of stewardship of the information they use. This will encourage staff at all levels to see information as a resource, not merely a cost of doing business.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA319650
Entities
People
- Trevor W. Plant
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology