Reference modeling of the central elements of Thomas H. Davenport’s “Information Ecology”

Silva, Amanda Franzão Rodrigues da; Garcia, Leonardo Guimarães

doi:10.20396/rdbci.v19i00.8663752/26875

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RDBCI: Revista Digital de Biblioteconomia e Ciência da Informação

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ARTICLE • RDBCI : Rev. Digit. Bibl. e Cienc. Inf. 19 • 2021 • https://doi.org/10.20396/rdbci.v19i00.8663752/26875 copy

Reference modeling of the central elements of Thomas H. Davenport’s “Information Ecology”

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Due to the considerable increase of volume and importance of information for companies, an efficient management of their informational environments has become a necessity. To do so, a correct understanding of the nature and dynamics of these environments is essential. Thomas H. Davenport's model of Information Ecology was created to play this role, though neither the author nor the later literature have gone deep enough into the practical aspects of its implementation.

Objective:

In order to overcome this gap, the present work proposes and applies a modeling approach that converts the elements of “Information Ecology” into reference elements aimed at the implantation in the organizational context.

Methodology:

In methodological terms, this is a bibliographic and exploratory research, carried out through the following steps: bibliographic survey, analysis of the collected material and development of the reference elements.

Results:

As indicated, the main result of the work is the reference elements: a) six reference processes; b) a management architecture of reference that allows to articulate and operationalize the reference processes. The inspiration for the creation of this structure comes from the Management Excellence Model (MEG), a managerial systemic reference model endowed with the most modern and recognized administrative contributions of the present time.

Conclusion:

By indicating a management architecture and management practices based on the Davenport model and appropriate to the informational environment of organizations, the reference elements can provide important contribution to organizational performance and success. Overthrow the small literature focused on implementation, Davenport's main contributions were represented to enable the understanding and implementation of the model by organizations that care about systemic thinking and valuing people

KEYWORDS:
Informational environment; Information management; Information Ecology; Reference model

AUTHORS	BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Taylor (1991)	It defines the information use environment as the set of those components that: a) affect the flow and use of information within and outside any definable entity; b) determine the criteria for judging the value of information. It emphasizes the importance of the context in which the organization operates and describes how such context affects the way people live and work, and how they seek and use information.
Katzer e Fletcher (1992)	They formulate a model based on the characteristics of Taylor's model. This model would comprise people (i.e., managers), their organizational choices, their typical problems, and their acceptable ranges of resolution. The main notion of the model is that managers, while observing their informational environments, confront problem situations.
Rosenbaum (1993)	One of the best known approaches, introduces structuration theory to clarify the interaction between Taylor's information use environment and information behaviors. It posits that the information use environment is structural in nature and comprises rules, resources, problems, and problem solving.

DIMENSIONS	BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DIMENSION
Information Strategy	Focused on promoting the strategic use of information, this dimension of the model corresponds to the organization's "informational intent," its course of action for success in the information realm, given that organizations have information from numerous sources and need to apply it intelligently. It reveals how information should help the organization realize its strategic objectives, and promotes increased awareness of the relevance of information.
Information Policy	It corresponds to a set of guidelines for informational programs, decisions, or actions. They are principles for informational conduct, disciplining the way in which the power provided by information is (or is not) shared. This control, more or less centralized, of information flows already occurs in all organizations, so that the challenge of information policy is to make this reality explicit and indoctrinate it.
Culture and information behavior	Essential to success, these are perhaps the strongholds of greatest resistance to change. However, as "changing the way people use information [...] is the crux of information ecology" (DAVENPORT, 1998, p. 109), actions on informational culture and behavior become essential.
Specialized information team	Adding value to information requires a specialized team. This team has the role of giving meaning and context to information and offering it in the best way for the organization, qualifying its decisions and processes. Davenport suggests that the team should have technical professionals (programmers, systems analysts, etc.) and non-technical professionals (management and business analysts, etc.).
Information Management Processes	Dimension that indicates how to manage information in an interfunctional and systemic manner, from the perspective of management by processes. It involves determining the demands/needs for information, obtaining and processing them, distributing/circulating them, and using them, which is the essential purpose of the process and, indeed, of the entire model.
Information Architecture	For Davenport, information architecture represents the IT structure responsible for supporting the informational processes of the organization. This dimension is essential, but it is not the most important one in the scope of the model (something different from what we see in the day-to-day of most organizations, which still tend to overvalue technology to the detriment of people).

FOUNDATION	DEFINITION
Systemic Thinking	Understanding and dealing with the interdependency relationships and their effects among the various components that make up the organization, as well as between these and the environment with which they interact.
Organizational learning and innovation	Search and achievement of new levels of competence for the organization and its workforce, through perception, reflection, evaluation, and sharing of knowledge, promoting a favorable environment for creativity, experimentation, and implementation of new ideas capable of generating sustainable gains for the stakeholders.
Adaptability	Flexibility and ability to change in a timely manner in the face of new stakeholder demands and changes in context.
transforming leadership	Leaders act in an ethical, inspiring, exemplary way, committed to excellence, understanding the likely scenarios and trends of the environment and the possible effects on the organization and its stakeholders, in the short and long term; mobilizing people around the organization's values, principles, and objectives; exploring the potential of the cultures present; preparing leaders and people, and interacting with stakeholders.
Sustainable Development	Commitment of the organization to account for the impacts of its decisions and activities, on society and the environment, and to contribute to the improvement of living conditions, both now and for future generations, through ethical and transparent behavior.
Commitment to stakeholders	Establishing pacts with stakeholders and their interrelationships with strategies and processes in a short- and long-term perspective.
Process orientation	Recognition that the organization is a set of processes that need to be understood from end to end and considered in the definition of the organizational, work and management structures. The processes must be managed aiming at the search for efficiency and effectiveness of activities in order to add value to the organization and stakeholders.
Value Generation	Achievement of economic, social, and environmental results, as well as the results of the processes that enhance them, at levels of excellence that meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders.

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[1] INTEREST CONFLICTS:

The authors certify that they have no commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in relation to the manuscript.