Information Management Process in Continuous Improvement Area at Worldwide Steel Company - Enterprise Information Systems Design, Implementation and Management: Organizational Applications - page 186

cal structure in order to facilitate the
process of information management.
This does not mean that physically
distant people can not exchange best
practices and experiences, but it is more
difficult and requires much more com-
munication devices than people who
know each other personally. Despite its
importance, the personal contact is not
the only factor generating confidence
and enriching communication. The
possession of knowledge can also act
as a facilitator of information exchange.
When there is a respected expert in a
particular area, this exchange flows
due to the respect that exists for him.
In spite of being personally distant,
they have knowledge in common. The
exchange of information is much more
fruitful when people are in the same
wavelength.

information sharing builds the information
culture and that defines whether or not the
exchange of information and ideas take place.
d) Information Staff : A good informational
team should be multidisciplinary with di-
verse skills. People are the best means to
identify, filter and integrate information.
e) Information Process: The process shows
how the work is done. The organization must
have a large vision, defining the informa-
tional processes as all the activities carried
out by those who work with information.
f) Information Architecture : It is a guide to
design and locate the information within the
organization. In an information environment
the facility to understand and clear com-
munication are important factors to have
the information flowing in a correct way.

The firms must be able to interpret the environ-
ment, collect information and treat it. This process
of knowledge creation is what will subsidize it for
strategic decision making and its market position-
ing. If knowledge is power, the companies must
know to use it in their favor.

The information environment is the center of
the ecology approach. To manage the information
in a holistic manner, it is necessary to understand
the whole scenario in which the information is
used. The author broke down the environment in
six critical components:

information Management

Only when the information management is done
knowingly and seen as a natural process, the or-
ganization will actually be based on information
(McGee & Prusak, 1994). For these authors, infor-
mation must be mapped, identified, categorized,
and finally released. Firstly it must be identified
what to be collected.
There is no right or wrong style, but the style
most appropriate for the time the organization is
experiencing. In one organization, several types
of information management can co-exist.
Davenport (1998) describes a generic process
of managing information. According to him, each
organization can set its process in a different way,
with different stages.

a) Information Strategy: The strategies of
information should involve senior manage-
ment and be clear about the purpose of infor-
mation. Knowing why it is important to the
organization. With no information strategy,
the organization can be seen buried in an
“information world” without the expected
efficiency.
b) Information Policy: Business strategies
should be aligned with the policies of
management information. This is a critical
component because it involves the power
provided by information.
c) Information Behavior and Culture :
Positive or negative behavior in relation to