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Information Management in the Age of Social Distancing and Beyond

By April 9, 2020January 18th, 2024News

In my role as the CEO of a technology services company, I work with organizations across many industries, in different geographies, and of varying sizes. With the COVID-19 crisis, most of these organizations have transitioned to a distributed work model and are experiencing the impacts of disconnection in their communication and information sharing.

Information Management in the Age of Social Distancing and Beyond

In my role as the CEO of a technology services company, I work with organizations across many industries, in different geographies, and of varying sizes. With the COVID-19 crisis, most of these organizations have transitioned to a distributed work model and are experiencing the impacts of disconnection in their communication and information sharing. These difficulties surface when standard business processes, that were normally executed in the on-site office, are now being handled by a disconnected team. This is especially clear when information or decisions need to transition across departments or functional areas. I have witnessed these issues first-hand and have listened to my customers’ frustration around getting their work done in this new remote environment. In this article, I will share my view on the future of information management, as seen through the lens of social distancing.

The Lessons of Social Distancing

Many of the same issues and disconnects occurred when work forces were all in the same location, but they were not as obvious because the individual team members could go to extra lengths to fill in the communication and information gaps for critical business processes. While these inefficiencies have always existed, they were spread across all the processes in your organization. As a resource manually addresses the communication and information gaps in one process, they are neglecting other work that needs to be completed. Heroic efforts by an individual do not scale across an organization.

A Culture of Collaboration

The recent shift to remote work has revealed the conflict between two opposing forces. On the one hand, working remotely requires a culture of frequent, ad-hoc conversations. Virtual “water-cooler” discussions are essential to bring teams together and foster collaboration, especially when individuals are physically separated. On the other hand, the need to distribute and share information requires some level of formalized structure. Everyone must agree and understand the importance of finding the information they need, or else critical information may be lost. These two forces are often at odds, precariously tipping one way or the other into stifling order or unproductive chaos. Ultimately, successful companies must find a way to balance these competing forces, maintaining structure while providing the flexibility needed for workers to do their jobs.

Information Overload

This challenge isn’t made any easier by the sheer volume of data available. The amount of information we capture, generate, or acquire daily is astounding and overwhelming. We have filter failure and assume more information is always preferable. However, the truth is that more information can improve business results, but only if the right nuggets can be made available to the right person in the right context. Information in context can become knowledge, but without context it is noise.

The Strategic Advantage of Digital Decision Making

Despite the urgency of the recent shift to remote work and what it reveals about corporate culture, the truth is that the current crisis is only accelerating a process that has been going on for decades. Businesses have always struggled with the transition from Analog to Digital to Decision to Action.

Digital transformation is about understanding the path and making it as efficient as practical. Most companies focus on the Analog to Digital because that can be easily identified and started (which is not to say that it is an easy process). Where the business value is highest is in the subsequent steps, where information provides actionable insights to decision makers. We spend too much time waiting for the right information to reach us to make decisions. In a well-defined process, the information is captured and waiting to be acted upon. And in some cases it may even reach out to inform us when it is ready.

Where to Start

The current crisis is a wake-up call to businesses. The solutions that we put in place today will not only enable the remote workforce, promote collaboration, and improve communication, they will improve critical business processes and vital decision cycles.  It is important that businesses frame their decisions based on an information strategy that recognizes the Analog to Digital to Decision to Action path.

Any information strategy needs to start with a simple question. What business problems do you need to solve? As Dr. Stephen Covey says in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,

Begin with the end in mind. 

It’s important to focus time and energy on things that can be controlled. The success of an information program can vary greatly depending on how rigorously and honestly leaders address the business problems they face.

Toward a Competitive Advantage

The first, critical step toward digital transformation is aligning your information strategy with your corporate goals. Companies should define strategies that reflect their unique revenue stream, corporate culture, processes, and mission. There is no silver bullet to information management. Whether your company is building a program from scratch, in the process of scaling what you already have, or refining an existing mature program, the key to success is creating a strategy before making decisions on technology investments.

Organizations that address the way they communicate and share information for critical business processes will have a competitive advantage over their peers that remain in the status quo. By addressing the fundamental approach to business processes, your organization can be better prepared for unforeseen issues that require a disconnected work force and improve the business activities that generate revenue when your team is together.

To learn more about how Alitek can help you and your company turn information into actionable insight, please visit our website at www.alitek.com or email me directly at [email protected].

About Alitek

Alitek is a leader in information based digital transformations. We help organizations improve business outcomes, increase efficiency, and reduce risk, through better management of information. Our experienced team works with you to build a unique strategic plan based on your specific needs, no matter the size of your company.

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