The achievement of productivity and competitiveness objectives forces us to reflect on our vision of the Information and Knowledge Society. In each work day, many of us spend several hours in front of the computer, but it is not certain that, when we look for it, we will access the ideal information that allows us to generate new valuable and applicable knowledge in our professional performance; However, the success of decisions and actions demands a greater dose of knowledge every day.
Without questioning that we live in the Technology or Information Society, there are still those who frown upon hearing about the Information Society, and even more so if one speaks of the Knowledge Society: we don't always find everything that we seek, nor when we find it do we translate it well into solid knowledge. It does seem at times more true that we live in the Society of Virtual Relationships, and it is true that the so-called social networks are acquiring a very significant dimension: Social Software is pointed out as something revolutionary. But, despite possible reservations, we do need to be aware of the emerging economy of knowledge and innovation.
Initial reflections
We have read that Redtel, an Association (perceived as a lobby) of Telecommunications Operators (Telefónica, Orange, Vodafone and Ono), was created, according to its president, the engineer, financier and winemaker Miguel Ángel Canalejo, with the intention of placing Spain at the head of the Information Society; but I fear that perhaps it refers, above all, to the Society of Communication or Telecommunication. Actually, and pointing to the emerging economy, what characterizes it is knowledge and innovation, and, in short, several labels arise here (information, knowledge, communication, innovation…) that we should not merge or confuse.
There will be those who think that this - placing Spain at the head of the Information Society - may be a very ambitious goal (even for the Government and despite the plans deployed), and that businessmen usually associate to defend their businesses and interests; The truth is that something has to be done to advance productivity and competitiveness, and a synergy of efforts is undoubtedly required. In truth, Spain must be among the most advanced countries in information and communication technologies, but it also all depends on how we interpret the idea of the Information Society, because perhaps we often interpret it as "Information Society and Telecommunications ”.
I think it was on April 13, 1999 -almost nine years ago- when I was invited to a Symposium under the slogan of "The Information Society for all", and, although there was some speaker who, without going too far into the evolution of the economy, said that we had gone from the "consumer society" to the "information consumer society", in general the protagonism of the day fell on access to the Internet and telecommunication networks. Miguel Ángel Canalejo himself, then president of Alcatel Spain, took part in one of the round tables. Of that day, what I remember most, however, was the final intervention of the philosopher José Antonio Marina, who came to remind us that information resides in supports and knowledge in people, once these grant - we grant - the due meaning to the signifiers.
More recently, in May 2005, I attended another event called from the political sphere, under the buzzword “Information Society”. The conference was called "The development of the Information and Knowledge Society: a commitment to progress for the European Union." It seemed to me, in effect, that information was no longer seen primarily as something to be consumed, but as a fundamental raw material in the knowledge economy; as raw material from which we extract the desired knowledge, to conveniently apply it for the benefit of prosperity.
Informatics and Telecommunications are inexcusable, but valuable and applicable knowledge is reached from rigorous and suitable information that we can easily access. It is true that we handle a lot of information in companies; it is a lot, but perhaps it is not always sufficient and suitable, nor is it rigorous and simple enough to translate into valuable and applicable knowledge. We may be making erroneous apprehensions and false learning, and perhaps making mistakes in decisions, because the information is not reaching the proper quality, nor are we evaluating it properly. We can have good networks and good supports, but, in some cases, poor information.
Handling information
I will comment on my own anecdotal experience. I bought a cold water humidifier in a department store and told the lady who attended me that I had never had one (I had used the hot water ones). "Don't worry, there's an instruction sheet coming," she told me. Well, believe me, even as an engineer, I was unable to follow the instructions on the sheet and, when I had already decided to return to the warehouses, I ended up making it work by applying my intuition or conjecture… Something similar used to happen to me when trying to tune televisions… of course My wife may also be right, and that I am somewhat stupid at times.
But neither the information we handle in companies always has the meaning it appears, nor can we believe everything we read in print or electronic media. It is true that each of us perceives realities in our own way, based on our beliefs, feelings, values, concerns and desires; but it is that we can also be faced with incomplete, confusing, manipulated or inaccurate information. Thus, if we add the possible lack of quality in the information with the tendency of the brain (due to its many “filters”) to deceive us, the result could be unreliable.
Note that, having recognized the need for lifelong learning in professional life, universities have been developing the idea of information literacy (“alfin”), so that students learn to deal well with information: access, consultation, learning, integration and application. Already in the business world, one should speak of informational skill -and even excellence-; Undoubtedly, good information and knowledge management is inexcusable in knowledge companies.
Three months ago I heard Roberto Cencioni (European Commission / DG Information Society and Media) say that those of us who work with information as raw material spend about 27 hours a week searching and analyzing information, and we lose three and a half because we can't find it; I feel part of that group, but I'm afraid of wasting more time… Of course, sometimes I make “serendipitous” (casual) discoveries: I find very interesting things, even if they don't match my search patterns.
Much emphasis has been placed on digital literacy and not so much on information literacy, but the knowledge business has to be excellent not only in the information it stores and in its access to that existing abroad, but in its exploitation, that is,, in its rigorous translation to solid and applicable knowledge. In this translation, the individual has to display his critical thinking before the available information, which can be rigorous and assertive, but we must make sure.
In a recent book, Eduardo Punset tells us: “Probably, the great evolutionary leap among hominids occurred the day one of those beings was able to intuit what another member of his group was thinking about. Knowing what his interlocutor was thinking allowed him to help him… or manipulate him. This tendency to convince others of our own opinions or to try to manipulate them seems to have not stopped since then ”. Punset therefore highlights the need for critical thinking in all of us, that is, reflective and penetrating, careful and inquiring, rigorous and independent thinking that seeks the truth: something that is essential to ensure the conversion of available information into valuable knowledge.
The knowledge worker
The new knowledge worker needs, of course, a good deal of “informational prowess”…; But let's quickly recall how Peter Drucker drew his profile:
- Visible degree of personal and professional development Digital and informational skills Autonomy in performance and lifelong learning Creative ability and innovative attitude Loyalty to the profession and quality at work
This worker constitutes, therefore, a valuable asset for the correct economy of knowledge; But let me also remind you that the manual worker is not necessarily outside this profile, because there are manual jobs that demand a great deal of knowledge, without the need to resort to the example of the dentist or surgeon. All jobs are necessary in society, and most of them require a specialization that must be updated periodically, without counting on the probable assumption of new roles and responsibilities by the workers. Nor do we identify the knowledge worker with his university origin: almost all of us have to learn continuously and therefore handle suitable information.
It is worth dwelling on the second trait noted: skill in handling information. Just over fifteen years ago, two concepts related to the Information Society began to be discussed separately: in companies, knowledge management; and in the universities, of the sufficiency or informational skill. The first (knowledge management) seemed to involve a kind of conceptual reengineering of traditional information management systems in companies, paying more attention to technical, functional and relational information on business activity: know what, know how, the know why, the know who… The second (information literacy) arose among documentary makers and in some universities,in tune with the growing concern for lifelong learning (self directed lifelong learning). The idea of informational sufficiency - today, in the company and as we said, we must speak of excellence - already pointed to access, use and exploitation of the growing information available, although we still did not use the Internet.
Since those 90s, on the one hand the advancement of knowledge management in companies has not always been satisfactory (despite the powerful tools available), and on the other, information has continued to multiply significantly and make itself available to us through of ICT. Today, those concepts - knowledge management and informational skills (information fluency) - have very visibly approached each other in the business world, to enter into synergy with the emerging figures of the new manager and the new worker, also very especially with the idea of lifelong learning, and of course with the need to innovate; in short, with the evolution of the economy.
In organizations, skill in the use and exploitation of accessible internal and external information seems more than necessary, although we do not always have it to the precise degree. Perhaps the new generations will leave the universities with solid preparation for lifelong learning, but companies today already need a greater dose of knowledge, to better face their challenges of productivity and competitiveness in the new economy. The concept of business excellence has evolved with the new realities, and it does not seem to be questioned that we should also be excellent in translating information into knowledge, and in the flow of it in companies. Everything certainly points to the need for us to improve our informational competence.
(Curiously, in a recent book the editor changed my expression "informational competences" to "informational competences" and I found that surprise. The truth is that experts speak of information literacy - "alfin" - and I have adhered to the adjective even if you have chosen other nouns. Instead of talking about literacy or sufficiency, in the company I prefer to talk about excellence, competence or skill).
Lifelong learning
When talking about information and skills in its management, we must refer to the concept of lifelong learning, another key characteristic in the profile of the worker we are talking about. Indeed, we all have to attend to the continuous development of our professional profile. Here we must remember that the technological advance in Informatics and Telecommunications brought, in the previous decade, the concept of e-learning, that is, online learning. It seemed that online courses were coming to replace the more expensive classroom courses in companies, and almost ten years ago large corporations deployed their e-learning platforms - virtual campuses -.
At that time, there seemed to be more emphasis on technology than on the didactic information itself that the user had to translate into knowledge and behavior, and in fact, in 2004, a study by Santillana Formación uncovered user dissatisfaction with the content offered in the Online training. A year later, the apprenticeships produced were considered insignificant by representatives of the Tripartite Foundation for Employment Training. As late as 2007, I observed that some major e-learning provider continued to emphasize technology as a means of improving learning outcomes, and did so without mentioning the information contained in the courses, whose didactic potential must be duly ensured.
The importance of technological support in the multimedia load of the courses and in their interactivity cannot be underestimated, but I would insist here that knowledge comes from the information offered, and is consolidated in the student's brain. Informatics and Telecommunications do their work in an advantageous way, but inexcusable is both the work of the teacher expert generating didactic information, as well as that of the student translating it duly into applicable knowledge, and even developing useful connections, inferences and abstractions (the best learner is also creative).
The reader may have had some e-learning experience, even with interactive and multimedia material. I have come across timely and intelligent user-computer dialogues, but also irrelevant information and confusing questions that made me lose confidence in the content of the course. There are e-learning providers that seem to continue to downplay the importance of content in favor of technology, but there are also many others willing, with their products and services, to catalyze user learning, to satisfy their expectations.
Certainly we have to talk more about learning than training, and even about learning skills, which are so necessary for us. Among these skills and strengths for learning, and insisting that the knowledge worker is the protagonist of the process, there is critical thinking and other cognitive abilities, but also intrapersonal elements such as tenacity, intuition or serendipity (sagacity when making casual discoveries). The expert professional and lifelong learner knows how to get the most out of the information they access, and is not confused.
The innovation
Beyond mere technological renovation, innovation characterizes the emerging economy in a special way, and it should be noted that it involves the expansion or modification of the fields of knowledge: something that is difficult to achieve without mastering these fields. Indeed, penicillin and vaccines expanded the field of medicine, railways and aviation were once an additional and advantageous means of transport, telephony was more than a century ago another means of communication, as well as The Internet assumed it in the past decade.
Sometimes the expansion of a field originates outside of it, and thus we can say that surgery benefited from laser technology, that packaging was reconceived with the arrival of plastic and other advances, that mechanics benefited from electricity and electronics…, and that, in general, the fields of knowledge touch, overlap, or at least relate to each other in their content, in their tools, and so on. It is, if we accept to see it this way, the systemic essence of the world, how systemic the human being is in its anatomy and its resources.
Sometimes, some novelties come to modify the fields of knowledge and displace previous solutions. Aspirin came to displace salicylate, electric light to oil or gas, spring mattresses to wool ones, and then latex to those… We can also remember how, almost 20 centuries after Aristarchus, the heliocentric vision the world was imposed on the wrong geocentric worldview; and it is that sometimes the novelties have difficulties to prevail. We have to thank the advancement of astronomy to characters who, like Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler or Galileo, were characterized by the critical thinking to which we alluded and by their desire to know more.
As I have already pointed out in articles that appear on the Internet, some other innovations were the result of chance, although this required receptive and sagacious minds, willing to offer society new solutions. This is the case with the stethoscope, cyanoacrylate glue, velcro, sucralose, the Sony Walkman, the microwave oven, etc. So, as the reader knows well and I wanted to emphasize in these paragraphs, the concept of innovation goes far beyond the mere advance of information and communication technologies (technological renewal). I liked to see, by the way and recently, at Exporta 2008 held in Madrid, that the experts insist on it.
conclusion
Despite the prominence that technology (ICT) acquires in our days, we have to see it, indeed and if the reader agrees, as a medium; as a means to communicate and to access the information we need. From there, it is about generating knowledge that allows us to develop our profession in the economy of the 21st century.
Faced with possible deficiencies in the information we access, and to ensure the solidity of learning, we have to activate our critical thinking. In addition, to obtain maximum use of the solid knowledge acquired, we must also deploy the connections, analogies, inferences and abstractions that, well oriented, catalyze the desirable innovation in processes, products and services.
As an alter ego of the Information Society, the so-called “Knowledge and Innovation Economy” demands professionals who are permanent learners and who, with their individual competitiveness, contribute to the collective. We have to develop all our human powers and strengths, and here we have emphasized the need to convert available information into valuable and applicable knowledge. But, if there is a gap between knowledge and information, as there is between this and technology, we also find gaps between knowledge and high performance, and between knowledge and innovation. Improving our productivity and competitiveness would happen, without ruling out other challenges, by solving these four gaps in each company well.
