Information access and flow LO11412

Bbcompton@aol.com
Thu, 12 Dec 1996 23:59:16 -0500

Replying to LO11407 --

Bill asks a good question,

> How can we open the flow of information so that all members of an
> organization will have access to the information they need to function
> effectively, be creative and innovative, and make good decisions?

The answer, I think, is found through identifying those things that are
"designed" to distribute and share information and then learn from them.
For instance, a network is "designed" to distribute information. Why,
then, shouldn't an organization be designed like a network?

This only works, however, if operational theories value the distribution
of information. Without this the game is over before it's begun.

I tell people I work with that the more connections there are between
people within the organization -- whether formal or informal -- the
greater our chances of survival if information is shared between those
connections. This means that I regularly go around formal departmenal
boundaries and violate the sacred "rules of engagement," between
departments. And, as a result, I'm able to act on far more information
than most people.

This is one of the great things about a messaging system such as
GroupWise: Informal relationships can blossom and flourish without
management knowing that they exist. These relationships often become the
source of innovation and creativity.

--

Benjamin B. Compton bbcompton@aol.com

Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>