1803ICT Information Systems Foundations
2.5 quintillion bytes of data
Generated every day
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
2.5 quintillion bytes of data
That’s a lot of bytes
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
We send 16 million text messages
There are 990,000 Tinder swipes
156 million emails are sent; worldwide it is expected that there will be 2.9 billion email users by 2019
15,000 GIFs are sent via Facebook messenger
Every minute there are 103,447,520 spam emails sent
There are 154,200 calls on Skype
Then there’s endless streams of video and data from IOT.
That’s about 100 million blue ray disks
2
1803ICT Information Systems Foundations
Module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
By the end of this module you will:
Be able to argue the case for the importance of information in organizations
Explain the application of semiotics in organizations
Explain and apply semiotic levels
Discuss the process of using data to decision-making
Explain the difference among data, information and knowledge
List the types of organizational knowledge
Identify the types of organizational knowledge in cases.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Did you know….
There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but that pace is only acelerating with the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). Over the last two years alone 90 percent of the data in the world was generated. That’s 2 500 000 000 000 000 000 or 2.5 x 10 power of 18
That means two things: 1. there’s lots of it, and 2. there lots of change
And organisations need it (well not all of it, just some of it – which some they need of course matters as dose when and why they need it). — very important for business analysts and others designing information systems !!
Why do organizations need it? — to make decisions of course. Looking at information systems from this perspective, a good information system will provide the means for collecting, accessing and acting on data which is needed to meet the organisational goals. To understand this idea more fully there’s a few things we need to do:
Make a distinction among data, information and knowledge. – in normal language we often use those interchangeably but in IS it is an important distinction.
Gain some insight into how people can make sense of or make meaning out of data – this ties into an area called semiotics and also into something called data to information to knowledge pyramid,
we have to be aware of the levels of decision making for which the data is being used (there’s three of those_)
Make a distinction among the different types of knowledge that can exist in an organisation and the type of decision making associated with them. This module is quite long, so we’ll break it up into two sections : Semiotics and semiotic levels, and the DIKW pyramid, and knowledge and decision making.
3
http://aznisya.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/chapter-6-valuing-organizational.html
“Organizations are marked by the process by which they collect, manage, and use information “
Discuss…
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Information at various levels of the organisation – individual, department, manager etc
Information formats – documents, presentation, database,
Information granularity – fine detail, summary, aggregate (coarse)
InformationSensemakingCoordinationDecisions
All of this dependent on communication.
Elicit from conversation why organizations need information and eventually lead to the idea that all rests on communication
Think also about organizations being open systems
Organizations have to interpret information from the external environment. They have to co-ordinate information and make it meaningful to members of the organization.
See organizinform.docx
4
Information is central to organizations and thus information requires some attention devoted to it. This is what this module is about.
What do we mean by information?
How do we convey information?
What’s the difference among data, information, knowledge?
What’s the significance of these questions to organizations?
These are all questions we ask and address in this module.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
InformationSensemakingCoordinationDecisions
All of this dependent on communication.
Elicit from conversation why organizations need information and eventually lead to the idea that all rests on communication
See organizinform.docx
http://aznisya.blogspot.com.au/2015/09/chapter-6-valuing-organizational.html
5
More specifically, this module is about information and its flow through the organization.
https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/change-management-comic-strips/
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
6
Information is only useful if it flows through the process of communication.
Communication is about making meaning.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Information is only useful if those within the organization have access to it and are able to make use of it.– this is one important goal of IS – to enable information to move through the organization (by serving the needs of the activity systems that make up the organization) and to make sure that information is presented in a way that makes sense – the right information to the right people in the right way!!
7
Activity:
How do you feel about doing exams.
You have 2 minutes to convey information about your feelings using only drawings.
Share your picture with a friend.
Do they understand your message?
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Take a look,
Discuss and lead into the idea of signs and symbols
8
What does this drawing represent?
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Take a look,
Discuss and lead into the idea of signs and symbols
9
What does this drawing represent?
It’s meant to represent ‘lecture theatre’
Did you guess it?
What is the point that I’m trying to illustrate here?
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
It’s likely that other people will have guessed differently.
The point I’m trying to make is two fold
We use symbols to communicate
Understanding of what those symbols mean depends on a lot of factors. If you had never been in a lecture theatre would the picture have made any sense at all to say it is a lecture theatre. The sense making from a symbol depends on things like the prior experiences and knowledge of the receiver.
The exercise also illustrates some other important concepts
Communicating requires the use of some symbol or sign, which conveys meaning , to someone in some particular context with some particular knowledge and experiences.!!
Let’s formalize these ideas a little more…
10
We communicate verbally and non-verbally through the use of signs and symbols.
The study of communication or meaning making through signs and symbols is called semiotics
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Take a look,
Discuss and lead into the idea of signs and symbols
11
semiotics
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
What is the significance of the semiotic iceberg. Of course, the meaning that is made from the signs and symbols we use is influenced by many things.
12
Semiotics
Conveying information is accomplished through signs and symbols .
The study of meaning making, signs and symbols is called semiotics
A sign is something which stands to somebody for something in some respect or capacity
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Of course, the meaning that is made from the signs and symbols we use is influenced by many things.
13
Semiotics
[full size]
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Of course, the meaning that is made from the signs and symbols we use is influenced by many things.
A sign is something (the signifier) that stands to someone for something!!(what is signified)
14
Semiotics
Signs can be thought of as:
A fence
A sign sets a boundary
what this thing is, and what it is not
A label
A sign names something
How we refer to something
A vehicle
A sign can be used with other signs in a sign system for discussion and action
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Of course, the meaning that is made from the signs and symbols we use is influenced by many things.
15
Semiotics
Organisational semiotics:
examines the nature, characteristics and features of information, and studies how information can be best used in the context of organised activities and business domains.
treats organisations as information systems in which information is created, processed, distributed, stored and used.
benefits from the research of semiotics in various schools, and further develops its theoretical frameworks, methods and techniques for understanding, analysing, modelling, designing and implementing of information systems.
Use spans across information systems, marketing, etc. within organizations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organisational_semiotics ml
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
What is the relationship to business information systems.. Field of organizational semiotics – there’s lots of communication happening in an organization verbally, through forms, through collected data, through rules in the organization, through expected patterns of doing things – even the terminology used can be considered ‘symbols’ which have meaning. For example, if I say GPA what is it? How would someone not in the organization of higher education know?
16
Semiotics in information systems
and organizations
According to Ronald Stamper (2000), the difficulties of trying to define information can be overcome by seeing information as signs and to define the different aspects of these signs based on operations you can do on those signs.
Ronald Stamper’s work in organizational analysis using semiotics is seminal to the field of information systems.
Read Ronald Stamper’s journal article (attached as separate item to this module on learning at Griffith)
What are the main points he raises about the usefulness of semiotics to organizations and information systems?
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Organizational semiotics tries to understand organizations based on the use of signs, texts, documents, sign-based artefacts and communication, thereby using the results of for instance psychology, economics, and information systems science as basic disciplines. One of the aims of organizational semiotics is showing what you are doing when you are trying to understand, design or change organizations in terms of the use of, for instance, models and metaphors. This is done in order to free people from being trapped in the (unconscious) use of a specific metaphor or model type, and to make visible design space. https://semioticon.com/sx-old-issues/semiotix1/sem-1-05.html
A leading author in the area of semiotics is Ron Stamper.
Read the article and answer the questions before the webinar.
17
Semiotics: Levels (Ron Stamper)
Levels of semiotics. Information is data + sense-making
[Note: You will be asked to describe your assignment example in terms of this model]
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
These four layers serve to connect the social world on the one hand with the physical or technical world on the other.
Empirics: the study of the signals used to convey the message or content – the physical characteristics of the medium of communication
Syntactics: the formalism (or ontology*) used to represent a message – the logic and grammar of sign systems (the form, not the content).
Semantics: the meaning of a message communicated – the meaning of signs and their associated behaviour.
Pragmatics: the purpose or intention of communication is to link language to action
About the levels of transformation from data to information ton to knowledge to action
Data to information to knowledge: your raw marks are data and don’t mean much on their own, when we add some context this is the mark for this course in this trimester then we have information. When we link to other information and knowledge then it becomes a basis for deision making e.g. I really enjoy programming, I’ve done best in my programming courses so I will do a major in programming. It is this kind of sense making and decision making process that needs to happen in the activity systems that are a part of the information system.
We said earlier that ICT helps the collection, storage, organization of data, but this is useless unless those in the activity system can make sense of it and use it to help meet organizational goals – so this is what information systems design is really about – making sure the data and information is in the ‘system’ and then making sure that it is accessible and readily understood and that insights into the application are facilitated. Most recently there is some concern in companies about a thing called data literacy (the ability to understand and apply data). Organisations are struggling to find the talent which enables the understanding and application part.
18
Semiotics: Levels (Ron Stamper)
[Note: You will be asked to describe your assignment example in terms of this model]
Empirics: the study of the signals used to convey the message or content – the physical characteristics of the medium of communication
Syntactics: the formalism (or ontology*) used to represent a message – the logic and grammar of sign systems (the form, not the content).
Semantics: the meaning of a message communicated – the meaning of signs and their associated behaviour.
Pragmatics: the purpose or intention of communication is to link language to action
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
These four layers serve to connect the social world on the one hand with the physical or technical world on the other.
Empirics the symbols nd storage
Syntactics – the way the data is described.
These two are technical
Semantics is making meaning
The use of the data and information.
Data Information Knowledge Action by People, is a process of communication (according to semiotics)
19
semiotics
Level 1: physical characteristics of data (empirics). Signals & Storage
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
20
semiotics
Level 2: (syntax) ontology or formalism or specification (form) describing the data
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
21
semiotics
Level 3: meaning of the data and information
Quantity On Hand = 0 for cabinets
Need 5, order some
Information = data in context.
Q. What does this graph mean?
A. Take some action.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
22
semiotics
Level 4: Pragmatics Using information (as knowledge) to take action
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
23
Data Information Knowledge
Action by People
Data Information Knowledge Action by People, is a process of communication (according to semiotics)
Action
Knowledge
Process of Communication
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
24
Level 4. Intention, decision making and action
At the top level we are interested in the way people formulate intentions and communicate them to other people
The top level is concerned with the way people use information and knowledge to make decisions and take action
Information supports human activity in the sense that it enables decisions to be made about appropriate action
Decisions fall in between information and action.
Data information knowledge decisions action
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Pragmatics and semantics is where the value of the information and data materializes. Information systems serve a crucial role here. This is where the holistic socio-technical perspective of an information system becomes so important.
We said earlier that ICT helps the collection, storage, organization of data, but this is useless unless those in the activity system can make sense of it and use it to help meet organizational goals – so this is what information systems design is really about – making sure the data and information is in the ‘system’ and then making sure that it is accessible and readily understood and that insights into the application are facilitated. Most recently there is some concern in companies about a thing called data literacy (the ability to understand and apply data). Organisations are struggling to find the talent which enables the understanding and application part.
25
Information is data with meaning
Information arises from a process of communication (through signs)
Information is different to data.
Information is knowledge. Knowledge can be measured in terms of increments of information.
Information plus types of knowledge enables us to take action
Information is critical in support of decision making and of action
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
To recap
26
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Pragmatics and semantics is where the value of the information and data materializes. Information systems serve a crucial role here. This is where the holistic socio-technical perspective of an information system becomes so important.
We said earlier that ICT helps the collection, storage, organization of data, but this is useless unless those in the activity system can make sense of it and use it to help meet organizational goals – so this is what information systems design is really about – making sure the data and information is in the ‘system’ and then making sure that it is accessible and readily understood and that insights into the application are facilitated. Most recently there is some concern in companies about a thing called data literacy (the ability to understand and apply data). Organisations are struggling to find the talent which enables the understanding and application part. https://hbr.org/2012/04/good-data-wont-guarantee-good-decisions
But at what levels does decision making occur within organisations? This is important to know because it let’s us know where information systems can serve a useful role.
27
Decision making is a key activity of organisational actors
Performed at a number of levels within organisations
In terms of management decision-making there are three levels:
Strategic management
Tactical management
Operational management
Decisions, decision making
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
28
Knowledge and Information
Information:
A new definition: Information is ‘an increment (or measure) of knowledge which can be inferred from data’ (Tsitchizris and Lochovsky)
Information increases a person or group’s knowledge
This definition relates the concepts of:
Data
Information
Knowledge
People
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
The word knowledge is derived from the Ancient Greek word gignoskein which roughly translated means to decide upon, determine or decree. Epistemology, or the philosophical theory of knowledge, is at least as old as the term itself, and knowledge, or the problem of knowledge, has been of intensive interest to sociologists and psychologists for a number of centuries. More recently the emphasis has been directed at the issue of organisational knowledge, how organisations learn and to what degree an organisation can manage its knowledge.
Acknowledging the vast amount of literature considering the question of what is knowledge, we provide a working definition of knowledge here for the purposes of explanation and to help as a basis for discussion of the distinction between data, information and knowledge management. Tsitchizris and Lochovsky define information as being ‘an increment of knowledge which can be inferred from data’. Information therefore increases a person or group’s knowledge of something. This definition relates the concepts of data, information, knowledge and people.
Knowledge and Information
Organisational knowledge (or organisational memory):
Recently there has been great interest in the academic and practice field of IS about how organisations learn;
And to what degree an organisation can manage its knowledge (its body of information)
Organisational memory is what an organisation knows about its processes (internal) and environment (external)
This knowledge is a critical resource for organisations to help them operate effectively in economic markets
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
The word knowledge is derived from the Ancient Greek word gignoskein which roughly translated means to decide upon, determine or decree. Epistemology, or the philosophical theory of knowledge, is at least as old as the term itself, and knowledge, or the problem of knowledge, has been of intensive interest to sociologists and psychologists for a number of centuries. More recently the emphasis has been directed at the issue of organisational knowledge, how organisations learn and to what degree an organisation can manage its knowledge.
Acknowledging the vast amount of literature considering the question of what is knowledge, we provide a working definition of knowledge here for the purposes of explanation and to help as a basis for discussion of the distinction between data, information and knowledge management. Tsitchizris and Lochovsky define information as being ‘an increment of knowledge which can be inferred from data’. Information therefore increases a person or group’s knowledge of something. This definition relates the concepts of data, information, knowledge and people.
Knowledge and Information
https://committee.iso.org/home/tc176/iso-9001-auditing-practices-group.html
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Figure 2: Categorises knowledge on 3 dimensions:
accessibility (explicit or documented / tacit or know how),
level of abstraction (domain or specific / generic)
purpose (declarative or what) / procedural or how.
Types of organisational knowledge
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Consider what type of organisational knowledge the information system provides and which level of the organisation it may be used at. Typically, organisational knowledge will be a combination of all these.
xplicit Knowledge
Explicit knowledge is easily documented and indisputable, like procedures and policies, product and service functionality, step-by-step tasks, research, and content. It’s most likely to be documented by technical writers, content strategists, instructional designers, and information architects.
Tacit Knowledge
Tacit knowledge is a learned sense of practical know-how, which is hard to articulate, such as how to repair a computer system. It’s the realm of your subject matter experts; held inside your employees’ heads; and transmitted through training, mentorships, and communities of practice. According to Nonaka & Takeuchi, “Tacit Knowledge is the knowledge of experience, and tends to be subjective and physical. It is about ‘here and now’, relates to a specific practical context.”
Implicit Knowledge
Implicit knowledge, or embedded knowledge, is intuitive and embedded experience. It’s ineffable, but you know it when you see it, such as the experience of senior employees, subject matter experts, the nature of professional relationships, and institutional processes. It’s transmitted through social relationships.
Sources of Knowledge
Now that we know what types of knowledge to look out for, we’ll go through potential sources of knowledge. Knowledge can be found almost anywhere in your organization and comes in many tangible and intangible forms. For example:
Individual—a person’s notebook, loose documents and files, customer queries and complaints, or an individual’s memory. These are good sources of tacit knowledge.
Group/Community—communities of practice, communities of excellence, project teams, internal teams, training groups, mentorship programs. These are good sources of explicit, implicit, and tacit knowledge.
Structural—routines, processes, culture, traditional ways of doing things, IT systems, suppliers. These are sources of implicit knowledge.
Organizational memory—the knowledge of your entire organization. It can be contained in guidelines, regulations, reports, market research, records, and data. These are good sources for a combination of tacit and explicit knowledge.
6 types of
Organisational Knowledge
Accessibility:
Explicit knowledge = readily accessible, documented, stored
Tacit knowledge = human know how
Purpose
Declarative knowledge = ‘what’ Example: Quantity = 5
Procedural knowledge = ‘how’ Example: Re-order if < 5
Abstraction
Domain knowledge = narrow area (how a business operates)
Generic knowledge = transferable knowledge (how to use a PC)
** Most organisational knowledge is tacit. Need to convert tacit
knowledge into codified or explicit knowledge
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Example: An engineer retired and a few weeks later the most important company machine breaks down.
The retired engineer takes a look and hits the machine once with a hammer. The machine starts working again.
The next day, the manager gets a bill for $5000 that reads:
Hammer: $5
Knowing where to hit the machine with hammer: $4995
What kind of knowledge is this?
Explicit (documented) / tacit (human know-how)
Declarative (what) / procedural (how)
Domain (narrow) / generic (transferable to other domains)
6 types of
Organisational Knowledge
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Tacit,
Procedural, generic
34
Business Knowledge
In the past, business information systems development has focused on:
representing or automating aspects of both declarative (knowing what) and procedural (knowing how) knowledge;
automating domain (narrow area) knowledge that is explicit (accessible, documented & organised).
More recently, IS development focus is on converting tacit (mind) knowledge into procedural knowledge (symbols) in order to:
share it, and
overcome staff turnover problems.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
Business Knowledge
In your assignment, you need to explain the types of knowledge that your new information system can create, and describe how it can inform decision-making by various stake-holders.
module 4 Data, Information, Knowledge and decision making
4.1 Organizations and information
4.2 Semiotics
4.3 Semiotics in organizations
& Semiotic levels
4.4 Data to Decisions
4.5 Decision making
4.6 Knowledge and Information in organizations
4.7 Organizational knowledge
/docProps/thumbnail.jpeg