Study of information flow in organisations

Facilities

ISSN: 0263-2772

Article publication date: 1 March 2000

253

Keywords

Citation

(2000), "Study of information flow in organisations", Facilities, Vol. 18 No. 3/4. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2000.06918cab.003

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited


Study of information flow in organisations

Study of information flow in organisations

Keywords: Communication, Information exchange

Almost 40 per cent of directors within the UK's largest companies are initiating wholesale shifts in attitudes among staff towards the sharing of knowledge as an integral part of their organisations' adoption of new communications technology.

This is the main finding of a BT-sponsored study into the flow of information around organisations. It is backed by the results of the latest annual MORI Captains of Industry survey which concluded that 54 per cent of the top 500 FTSE companies now have dedicated knowledge management departments and that the figure rises to almost two thirds in the top 100 firms.

The MORI survey also revealed that directors within almost half of the top 500 companies believe the majority of their assets to be intangibles such as knowledge.

Combined, the results seem to indicate the message "more we, less me" is finding acceptance on a greater scale than ever before and that the shift away from less productive business environments, where staff build power bases by hoarding and tightly controlling the distribution of information, is gaining speed.

Simon Kelly, general manager, marketing, for BT Corporate Clients, commented: "True competitive advantage will increasingly depend on unlocking the knowledge contained within a workforce, perhaps by using the latest technology, but definitely by creating the right cultural conditions where communal knowledge and collaborative working are encouraged.

"Acceptance of the need for cultural initiatives alongside the introduction of technology is growing. Our research shows that directors within 40 per cent of the FTSE top 250 organisations expect their corporate cultures to change dramatically within the next 12 months."

The BT-sponsored study also illustrated a clear preference for electronic media; 73 per cent of respondents insisted that e-mail was the way to a better informed workforce, equipped to serve customers better, faster.

Kelly concluded: "As these research exercises demonstrate, we have still some way to go with customers if we are to help them take advantage of the exciting potential of new communications technology. The convergence between telecommunications and computing will transform the competitive potential of many organisations beyond recognition, but only if corporate cultures move with the times too."

Further information from Neil Bent at Le Fevre Communications. Tel: +44 (0) 1865 202666; Mobile: 07887 568930.

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