Knowledge, data and information in the corporate context

Knowledge, Data and Information in the Corporate Context

Katharine SchopflinTalk for CILIP in London

Monday 22nd September 2014

Definitions

(Wisdom)KnowledgeInformation

Data

The Corporate context

• Not learning organisations• No public obligations for information provisionBut• Often regulated• Obligation to know the law• Need to keep customers / users happy• Need to know what their competitors are doing

What information do they need?

• External• Stay up to date• Offer an informed service to users• Understand trends and opportunities

• Internal• What was agreed internally / externally• Internal policies / best practice • What other people have done • Who to go to for what

“I divide my working life between writing policy and position papers and reading those that other

people have written”

Unnamed Civil Servant, Information Management Conference, 2009

Recorded Information

External information

• Books • Journals• Online databases• Current awareness• Curated online resources• ‘Just-in-time’ research

Management Information

Data on:• Sales• Stock• Industry trends• Staff• Competitors• Customers• Productivity

Structured Information

• Sales information• Media assets• Stock inventories• Customer / contact information• Staff information• Case details• Project information

Unstructured information: what?

• Records of meetings• Correspondence• Policy papers• Training documents• Building plans • Project documentation

Unstructured information: where?

• Emails• FileShares• EDRMS• Personal drives / workspaces• PC hard drives• Collaborative portals• Paper files

Unrecorded information

• Conversations• Unminuted meetings• Secret talents• Unexpressed (tacit) knowledge

Good KDI management

Staff:• know where to find the information they need• know who to go to when they need information / knowledge• know which is the most authoritative version of the truth• keep items for the correct amount of time• keep and destroy information securely• share information at the appropriate level• recognise information as a corporate asset• understand their regulatory and legal responsibilities

How did this used to be managed?

Secretaries

“The 32B Secretary Treasurer's office in 1937” from Wikimedia Commons

Libraries

“Works Progress Administration Librarian, 1940” from Wikimedia Commons

Document registries

“Everyday Life in London, 1941: Mrs Day working as a filing clerk” (Ministry of Information Collection) from Wikimedia Commons

How it’s managed now

“Portrait Of An Accountant Working On Computer" by stockimages from freedigitalphotos.com

Challenges

• Technology• Ethical and legal issues• Staff concerns• Legacy of paper• Long-term preservation and access

Questions to ask

• What are the principles of good information management?• Where are our biggest risks?• Is there anything we can fix quickly?• How can we make it easier to do the right thing?• Do we need to acquire new expertise / technology?• What are realistic timeframes for change?

How?

• Learn about the organisation• Consult widely• Discover how people do their jobs• Use communications channels, training, induction and performance

review• Identify what is needed to eliminate risk from processes• Embed practices in project governance

But …

• Don’t aim for the impossible• Understand the culture of the organisation• Concentrate on biggest financial / reputational risks• Don’t imagine money / technology will fix everything• Don’t try and change things for change’s sake

Questions?

katharine.schopflin@gmail.com

@schopflin