The Value of Information to the Intelligent Organisation

Citation

Swash, G. (1998), "The Value of Information to the Intelligent Organisation", New Library World, Vol. 99 No. 4, pp. 167-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/nlw.1998.99.4.167.3

Volume 4 in the Key Issues in the Information Business Series, looks at how the intelligent corporation makes effective use of information. It comprises ten individual papers, some of which were presented at the Libtech International conference in 1993 and all of which make interesting and thought provoking reading. It is a book which can be read cover to cover but can be of equal value by selective use, dipping into individual chapters.

Each of the papers deals in some way with the value of information and the crucial nature of information management. Howard Davies of the CBI introduces the role of information in industry, with a focus on manufacturing industry and calls on the information profession to manage the nation’s investment in its information resources. Andrew Forrest of the Industrial Society looks at organisations and the people in them, and concludes that true learning organisations are still rare. Richard Withey of News International Newspapers Ltd, looks inside the virtual corporation and encourages us to reappraise and think creatively in cyberspace. He talks of “meltdown in corporate structure” from which the new organisational phoenix has emerged but he advises information professionals to “wear bullshit deflectors at all times” as the ratio of hype is in direct proportion of corporations to understand what is going on. Martin White of Romtec Telecommunications Research asks the question, do intelligent tools really exist for the intelligent enterprise, indeed is the concept of the intelligent enterprise just an excuse for management gurus to write yet more books? He concludes that they do indeed exist but are evolving only slowly and the information profession has a key role in specifying and integrating the next generation of such tools.

Some of the contributions are valuable case studies. Andrew Booth’s account of the rationale, content and progress of the information audit as it was conducted at the King’s Fund Centre is especially so, as the limitations as well as the benefits of their audit are objectively and openly discussed. Worthy of mention too, is the concluding bibliography compiled by Paula Lewis. In addition to the chapter references, this provides further readings on the value of information and also extends to the subjects of: empowerment; information strategy; learning organisations; performance measures; and re‐engineering. Some of these references are inevitably beginning to date but this detracts only marginally from its usefulness and it still provides a good base for reading.

This collection of thoughts and experiences, inevitably does not provide us with the answer to that elusive question of how to quantify the value of information. However, it is still well worth reading for its insights into ongoing information management issues.