"The reason natural language is expressed in fuzzy terms is not because human thought is fuzzy, but because the world is fuzzy." John F. Sowa, American mathematician (1940-).
Introduction
Organizations are complex entities, their operation is determined by different factors, both internal and external to the organization. The organization can be studied from different perspectives, in the disciplines of company sociology, anthropology or psychology.
When studying the organization, the collection of information is necessary in order to have the basis and knowledge of what is happening inside or outside the organization. When the information is inaccurate or confusing, it becomes a problem to be able to carry out your analysis successfully.
The organization has a need to better understand their behavior, this has caused researchers to locate research methods that adapt to the need to analyze new approaches through information.
For this, there are methods to separately examine the reality of the company, and they are not entirely useful for analyzing decision-making processes. The diffuse information must be treated with methodologies that bring a greater understanding of reality to the company.
The importance of information within organizations is explained below and how diffuse information can be considered a barrier to them and how to attack it.
Fuzzy information
1. Information
Before moving on to the concept of diffuse information, it is important to emphasize that it is information. The information is made up of a set of interrelated data that are previously processed and analyzed, which form a message that alters the state of knowledge of the recipient. This is the clearest way to describe what information is.
Once the information that changes the state of knowledge in a person has been acquired, this will allow decision-making according to the new knowledge acquired through the information.
2. Information in companies
Tangible assets are generally considered the most precious thing for companies, they are characteristic because they are easily identifiable and perceived by the senses, for example raw materials, stocks, land, machinery, among others. However, tangible assets are not enough to achieve the competitive success of a company.
On the other hand, companies also have intangible assets, these are non-material in nature. Intangible assets provide privileges to the companies that own them, these assets generate added value in it. Intangible assets are considered as copyrights, patents, trademarks, information technology and databases, as well as Know How. This term refers to the existing knowledge of a company or its experience in a certain market, the latter are considered today in some cases more important than tangible assets.
The use of intangible assets in specific information depends on there being an adequate flow between the company and its environment, and on the other hand between the different units of the company.
A company becomes more competitive when it excels at exploiting the information it obtains from its environment. The importance of information lies in generating an increase in user knowledge, or in reducing uncertainties. In this sense, the information will allow individuals to make decisions that lead them to achieve the objectives and goals proposed within the organization.
The information within the company can be seen in such a way that it meets the following characteristics:
It must fulfill its main function, this is to increase user knowledge or reduce uncertainties that exist. In this case, the information is measured in relation to the help it generates for individuals so that they can make decisions within the company, in relation to the established objectives or goals.
It must generate competitiveness factors, that is, competitiveness does not depend only on the capacity of the company to produce a product, but also depends on the external market, the clients, their tastes and preferences, that is why it is relevant know information from the external environment.
To improve competitiveness, it is necessary to obtain the information before the competitors, which requires a good collection, capture and processing of the data so that the information obtained can be analyzed.
The information obtained can also integrate the units of the organization, since apparently certain information is useful specifically for one unit, it can also be useful for others.
Likewise, the information obtained from Educational Centers, courses, specialized magazines, among others, increases the knowledge technology that the company's human resources possess. In other words, it is reflected to the extent that the administrative and productive processes of the company improve.
3. Classification of information
The information of a company can be classified according to various criteria:
Figure 2. Information sources. Own elaboration.
Depending on the degree of elaboration, the sources are divided into
Primary
The information is in its origin and must be prepared for the first time and specifically.
high schools
The information that was previously prepared and was generated for another purpose that does not necessarily have to coincide with the unity of the company.
The information is also classified according to its nature:
Qualitative
It is the information obtained through the description, the observation of the topic to be investigated. Detailed descriptions are included based on observable situations, events, people, and behaviors. This information already includes data on attitudes, thoughts and reflections. It is carried out using different techniques: participant observation, that is, meetings, visits to the place or person to be investigated. The data obtained is not numerical, but is based on descriptions of the conclusions obtained.
Quantitative
It is the information with which the data can be examined numerically. Surveys, statistics, and certain percentages can be obtained, that is, the information obtained can be accounted for.
Depending on availability, the information can be:
Internal information
Internal information refers to the movement of information that is generated within the company. This information is stored within the same company and is spatially directed to the individuals who make the decisions. Information that has no internal flow and remains stored is of no value, hence the importance of being distributed to be used in strategic decisions.
The internal information may be of an operational nature, which results from the daily operation of the organization; of knowledge, when companies generate knowledge of the result of the analysis of the exploitation of the creative capacities of their members when they design new products or incorporate new administrative or productive owners and the information that is related to the hierarchical position and according to this the type of decision making.
External information
On the other hand, the information that companies use can also come from the organizational environment or external environment. The information captured by the company and which participates directly in daily activities is about the market to which it is directed, technological information, about clients, suppliers, special interest groups, competitors, among others. Likewise, there is indirect information to the company which influences the organization, but generally does not participate in the company's daily transactions.
4. Fuzzy information
As it could be observed in the previous lines the information within the organization is very varied, the term of diffuse information first of all refers to the information that is unclear or imprecise for your ideal understanding.
Fuzzy information blocks organizations from being able to understand the true value or meaning of information, as a desired goal of reporting. The information can be diffuse in cases where the interrelated data cannot be measured for analysis. For example, by analyzing the internal information of an organization, you can easily obtain data on sales, production or inventory, these data are measured in a quantitative way, so it becomes clear information for understanding and analysis.
On the other hand, the information can become diffuse. In a market study, taking into account people's tastes regarding the taste of a certain product, in this case there may be variables that are difficult to measure, for example subjective aspects of the product, qualifiers, or emotions, assuming that the information is collected by means of surveys, later this information becomes difficult to measure, it becomes diffuse information, which is clear for your good understanding.
Fuzzy information can be understood with the set of data that can hardly be processed or analyzed to obtain truthful information that can give the necessary tools to individuals and guide them in decision-making.
The management and use of this information within organizations is relevant since it is possible to have a large amount of data, but if it cannot be transformed into clear and concise information, it will hardly help management and other departments to carry out decision-making..
5. Fuzzy information tools
Fuzzy information tools arise with the need to clarify and facilitate the understanding of information and thus be able to create knowledge in the person who analyzes it.
Here are some tools that can be useful for handling fuzzy information:
5.1 Analysis of quantitative data
The quantitative information is less diffuse, it is generally clearer because it is given numerically. Its measurement and analysis can be carried out having knowledge of the use of various software that greatly facilitate obtaining information for decision-making.
5.2 Analysis of qualitative data
On the other hand, the qualitative data is more difficult to analyze since the data is measured based on subjective concepts, therefore the information becomes diffuse or difficult to understand. Various solutions can be proposed through various heuristic methods and in some cases the methods used through specialized software can generate an ideal solution.
5.3 Fuzzy logic
The imprecision can be related to any type of data according to its characteristics. In some cases a concept can have different meanings depending on the context and the times. For example, the temperature can vary in many contexts, a sunny day will not be the same in winter or in spring, so the description of what a warm day would be varies in some degrees depending on the season and the place. (Luna, 2002)
This type of diffusive is linked to other fields of study, for example sociology, finance, engineering, among others. A solution to the aforementioned is the fuzzy set theory, which was introduced by LA Zadeh in 1965. His proposal considers that each element has a degree of belonging to a set and this value can be between 1 and 0.
Fuzzy logic is one of the most recent methods for the analysis of qualitative information, however there are a wide variety of programs that bring true information to individuals.
6. Communication in the management of diffuse information
Communication is a relevant factor in companies, since in this way they transfer information between the different units of the organization. Communication within organizations can be horizontal when individuals are considered of the same status and vertical when it is between superiors and subordinates. To facilitate the understanding of the information, it is necessary that the information is already clear and concise to facilitate the communication process, since otherwise it generates difficulties in the administrative and operational processes of the company, delaying activities.
conclusion
In the globalized market in which we live, competitiveness and information are an important element for the company to have permanence and the ability to respond and adapt to the changing environment.
The speed of adaptation generates a competitive advantage where human capital and the analysis of qualitative and quantitative information becomes of vital importance to increase competitiveness, so it is important that the company has the capacity for change so that they can face the changes.
In this way, it can be seen that the diffuse information creates a series of problems within organizations, slowing down their operations and causing significant losses. For this reason , the importance of analyzing the diffuse information and providing good management in the organization is considered.
Reference sources
Information management. (sf). Retrieved on March 7, 2012, from UCLA.
Caro González, FJ (2005). Qualitative computer-aided research in business economics. Retrieved on March 7, 2012, from the University of Seville:
Daft, RL (2004). Administration. Thomson.
Koontz, H., & Weihrich, H. (1990). Administration. Mc Graw Hill.
Luna, GM (February 2002). Introduction to fuzzy logic: CINVESTAV IPN. Retrieved on March 07, 2012, from IPN Research and Advanced Studies Center:
