Characteristics of Good Information in Decision-Making

Lecturer: Dr. Perpetua S. Dadzie, Dept. of Information Studies Contact Information: psdadzie@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 2016/2017

Session Overview At the end of the session, the student will be able to: Describe the characteristics of good information Describe the levels of decision-making in an organization Identify the types of information needed at each level Explain the concept of information overload Identify causes, impact and how to reduce information overload Slide 2 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows: Topic One - Characteristics of Information Topic Two - Levels of decision-making Topic Three Types of information needed at each level Topic Four Managing Information overload Topic Five - Overcoming information overload Slide 3 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Reading List Palmer, S. & Weaver, M. (1998). Information Management. Oxford: Butterworth Heinemann. p. 8 Elearn (2009). Information and Knowledge Management. Revised Edition. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Ltd. (e-book).pp. 13 -15; pp. 32- 33 Slide 4 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Topic One THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INFORMATION Slide 5 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Characteristics of Information Good information is that which is used and which creates value Good information is relevant for its purpose, sufficiently accurate for its purpose, complete enough for the problem, reliable and targeted to the right person. It is also communicated in time for its purpose, contains the right level of detail and is communicated by an appropriate channel, i.e. one that is understandable to the user. Slide 6 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Characteristics of Information (2) Eight characteristics of good information Accuracy Information needs to be accurate enough for the use to which it is going to be put Reliability or objectivity Reliability deals with the truth of information or the objectivity with which it is presented Relevance /appropriateness Information must be relevant to the purpose for which it is required. It must be suitable Slide 7 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Characteristics of Information (3) Completeness should contain all the details required by the user Availability/accessibility should be easy to obtain or access Level of detail/conciseness should be in a form that is short enough to allow for its examination and use. Presentation information can be more easily assimilated if it is aesthetically pleasing Slide 8 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Characteristics of Information (4) Timely must be on time for the purpose for which it is required Cost-effectiveness should be available within set cost levels that may vary dependent on situation Slide 9 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Video What are the characteristics of good information <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tDqsZLmtDn 0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Slide 10 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Topic Two LEVELS OF DECISION-MAKING Slide 11 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Levels of Decision-making Decisions are made up of a composite of data, information, facts and belief. Thus a decision: Is only as good as the data that informed it Is only as good as it is an informed one Is only as good as the system which exists to implement Is only good if you have the means to implement it Is only good if other people understand it and what it means Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 12

Levels of Decision-making (2) Decisions are made at three broad levels within the organization. Strategic decision-making : determines the objectives, resources and policies of the organisation; predicting the future of the organisation and its environment and matching the characteristics of the organisation to the environment. Strategic decisions made by top management who deal with complex, non-routine problems. Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 13

Levels of Decision-making (3) Tactical decision-making concerned with how efficiently and effectively resources are utilised and how well operational units are performing. Management control requires close interaction with those that are carrying out the tasks of the organisation. Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 14

Levels of Decision-making (4) Tactical decision-making..... It takes place within the context of broad policies and objectives set out by strategic decision making ;it requires an intimate knowledge of operational decision making and task completion. Tactical decisions made by middle level management Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 15

Levels of Decision-making (5) Operational decision-making determines how to carry out the specific tasks set forth by strategic and middle management decision makers. Determining which units in the organisation will carry out the task, establishing criteria for completion and resource utilisation and evaluating outputs all require decisions about operational control. Operational decisions made by Junior management Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 16

Levels of Decision-making (6) Anthony Triangle Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 17

Topic Three TYPES OF INFORMATION NEEDED AT EACH LEVEL Slide 18 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Information needs at strategic level Strategic information: Comes from external sources Scope of information is very wide, not defined Level of detail is broad, summarised Currency of information requires future information Timeliness is not urgent Infrequent (annual) Level of precision is low, approximate, qualitative Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 19

Information needs at tactical level Tactical information: Comes from external and internal sources Scope of information is intermediate Level of detail is partly summarised Currency of information requires future, present, past Timeliness some urgency required Frequency regular (monthly) Level of precision is fairly precise, quantitative and qualitative Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 20

Information needs at Operational level Operational information: Comes from internal sources Scope of information is narrow and well-defined Detailed information required Currency of information requires past information Timeliness Immediate information required Frequency daily/hourly Level of precision is exact, quantitative Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies Slide 21

Topic Four MANAGING INFORMATION OVERLOAD Slide 22 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Managing Information Overload Information Overload: the inability to process large amounts of information and the state of stress which occurs when there is too much information available. the difficulty a person can have understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by the presence of too much information. Slide 23 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Managing Information Overload (2) The result is either that you either delay making decisions, or that you make the wrong decisions. Information and communication technologies play a role in the experience of overload: the Internet, email, voice mail, mobile phones, intranets Slide 24 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Causes of Information Overload Widespread access to the Web The ease of sending e-mail messages to large numbers of people. A general increase in unsolicited information (think of all the junk mail you get) As information can be duplicated for free, there is no variable cost in producing more copies people send reports and information to people who may need to know, rather than definitely need to know. Slide 25 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Causes of Information Overload (2) Poorly created information sources (especially online), which: are not simplified or filtered to make them shorter are not written clearly, so people have to spend more time understanding them contain factual errors or inconsistencies requiring further research Slide 26 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Causes of Information Overload (3) There s a lot more information around to collect, and it s increasing all the time The fear of missing out on some vital piece of information that your colleagues may already know about The perception that this is what you have to do to be well informed To justify the decisions you make To collect information in case it might be useful one day Slide 27 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Causes of Information Overload (4) Having a piled up in-tray and a cluttered desk demonstrates how busy and important you are You get the same information from a lot of different sources (this includes reports and articles which basically repeat a large percentage of their content) Cross-checking that the original information you have is accurate Getting on everyone s copy-to (cc) mail list so that you don t miss out Poor information searching skills, so that a lot of irrelevant information is retrieved. Slide 28 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Impact of Information Overload Loss of productive time Reduced mental capacity Disappearance of quality "thinking time" Breakdown of organizational processes Effective communication Meeting effectiveness Manager/subordinate interaction Task and work planning Slide 29 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Impact of Information Overload (2) Reduced quality of life Increased cardiovascular stress, due to a rise in blood pressure Weakened vision Confusion (see below) and frustration Impaired judgment based upon overconfidence Decreased benevolence to others due to an environmental input glut Slide 30 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Topic Five OVERCOMING INFORMATION OVERLOAD Slide 31 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Solutions to Information Overload Set information objectives. What is important to you? What information do you need to advance your career? What information will help you at school? Select your information sources. Focusing on quality of information, rather than quantity. A short concise e-mail is more valuable than a long e-mail. Filter aggressively. Spend less time on gaining information that is nice to know and more time on things that we need to know now. Slide 32 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Solutions to Information Overload Be direct in what you ask people, so that they can provide short precise answers. Single-tasking, and keeping the mind focused on one issue at a time. Spending parts of the day disconnected from interruptions (e.g. switch off e-mail, telephones, Web, etc.) so you can fully concentrate for a significant period of time on one thing. Slide 33 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

Activities Slide 34 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies

References Slide 35 Dr. Perpetua Dadzie, Dept of Information Studies