Organizations need to handle a large amount of information due to the activities they perform on a day-to-day basis. Information is a set of data that, when organized beforehand, can create a message based on facts.
Information in organizations is of vital importance because it enables people to acquire the necessary knowledge to make timely decisions.
The competitiveness of a company depends largely on how they handle the information that it generates from within and that which it promotes from external media. For this, the veracity of the sources that can be primary, secondary internal or external is of great importance.
But when searching for information, you will find inaccurate data that can generate confusion and obstruct the ability to solve problems. This type of information is called diffuse information and must be treated following a series of steps to make it useful for the purposes of the organization.
In this article we will review the concepts of information, diffuse information and the process indicated for its handling.
Definition of Information
Information can be defined as the group of data that deliver a message about a phenomenon or event that helps to make decisions to solve a problem.
In order for the information to be useful for decision-making, it must have the following attributes:
Accuracy: It must be truthful and correct and correctly describe the phenomenon or fact.
Opportunity: You need to be available when requested without delay.
Relevance: Must be related to the situation in question
Integrity: That is, having the ability to give all the details that are required to make decisions.
Frequency: Must be delivered regularly to be always updated
Time horizon: presents facts from the past, present and future
Scope: covering the area of interest
Origin: It can come from internal and external sources
Form of presentation: it is the style in which it is presented, it can be in the form of text, table, digital or printed. (Hampton, 1990)
Fuzzy information
Most companies recognize the importance of correct information management because the success of their competitiveness depends in part. But for this you must implement a series of steps that allow them to have the correct information for decision-making. This is called a fuzzy information process and is intended to organize all data that is not accurate or clear for the purposes of the organization and to make it useful or, if necessary, discard it.
This process consists of several steps that can be organized as follows:
Need for information
The company's need for information varies depending on the nature of the work, the activity to be carried out and the goals to be achieved. They vary according to the level occupied by people within the organization, that is, managers require more information than technicians to carry out their work and depend on internal or external nature.
The internal information needs are those that they supply by reviewing the activities within the organization. Some examples are:
- Inventory of a specific product Sales price and costs of a product Monthly income and expenses Employee wages
On the other hand, those of external origin are those in which it is required to review the external environment of the organization and may be:
- Level of customer satisfaction Demand for the product or service offered by the company Knowledge of competitive prices, promotions and sales strategies Changes in government regulations Information on suppliers (Hampton, 1990)
Find the information
In order to do this task efficiently, it is important to start from the information needs and prepare a schedule where the following activities are found:
- The activities necessary to achieve the company's objectives. Have a chronological order to carry out the activities. Specify the resources that will be used to do each task. Indicate the duration of each one.
Obtain all kinds of information (diffuse information)
When looking for information, a large amount of data will be obtained that will appear unclassified, disorganized and unstable that can generate confusion and at first glance are not very helpful. In order to then establish whether this information is suitable for the company, the following questions must be answered:
- Is it adapted to the needs of the organization? Is it easy for people within the organization who need to use it to access it without problem? Is it complete and accurate? Is it accessible, comprehensive and reliable? (Aumatell, 2003)
Using tools to manage fuzzy information
To understand all the information that is found, it is necessary to use several tools that help, among which are:
- Use keywords Use rapid reading techniques Highlight main ideas Make content files Use specialized search engines Inquire into experts on the subject Design and apply a procedure that establishes how to record, concentrate, classify, organize and rank information. Designate the people in charge of the task of managing the information Establish the specialty and profile of the information sources Analyze how reliable the information sources are The ability to identify the types of sources and their content It is necessary to know how to collect information
Information evaluation
It is extremely important to evaluate the information because the company's achievements are directly related to the use of the information.
To make a correct evaluation of the information it is necessary:
- Indicate the objectives of the evaluation Differentiate the general from the particular related to the information Use the indicated criteria to capture, select, integrate and organize Make the information consistent Make a distinction between factual opinions Try to find and analyze different points of view about the information and discuss Identify the point of view that the source has in the information During the manipulation of the information, use criteria of reliability, validity and levels of depth-Give feedback on the actions that are being carried out Have the ability to see the evolution that has been had with the management of the Information Know how to distinguish between primary and secondary sources
Why carry out the information evaluation?
- Because management requests it Because it allows to make improvements to the systems Because it makes information traceable Because it is part of the planning process Because it provides opinions that give new perspectives Because it allows documenting results or impacts on the organization
Process and produce the information
The information must be processed in order to use it for the benefit of the company.
The following should be taken into account at this stage:
- Organize, summarize and present the information Have the ability to analyze the information Reflect on the information found Have a good writing Have the ability to make good reports and reports It is essential not to copy and paste Represent the information using images, text boxes etc Know how to do an essay
This will allow the creation of accurate and timely communication instruments suited to the true needs of the company.
Take decisions
Due to changing circumstances at the level of technology, economy and globalization, it is necessary for organizations to create strategies to make effective and timely decisions. Having reliable, accurate and adequate information at hand allows the organization to always be at the forefront of the situation and avoid falling into dead-end situations, therefore the higher the quality of the organization, the better opportunities there will be for making intelligent decisions.
Therefore, it is of vital importance that decisions are made based on facts and therefore the information must always be accessible.
Management has to make many decisions on a daily basis for the correct development of activities within the organization as well as for the fulfillment of the company's goals, objectives, mission and vision. For this, information will be your great ally.
conclusion
Fuzzy information is the organized set of data that sends a little direct and uncertain message that makes it unclear, confusing and inaccurate.
The organization must then implement a methodology to analyze all this information in order to transform it into something useful for the purposes of the company.
Analyzing the data and the diffuse information is of vital importance for the decision making that will allow the company to remain competitive in the long term.
Bibliography
Aumatell, CS (2003). Information systems audit. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
CS, A. (2003). Information systems audit. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
González, AC (2014). Strategic management. Mexico: Larouse - Grupo Editorial Patria.
Hampton, DR (1990). ADMINISTRATION. Mexico: McGraw Hill.
Sandra Sieber, JV (2006). Information systems in today's company:
strategic aspects and practical alternatives. Spain: MacGraw-Hill.
Thanks
To the Technological Institute of Orizaba for giving me the opportunity to train professionally and to Professor Fernando Aguirre y Hernández for all the knowledge he has shared with us in his subject Fundamentals of Administrative Engineering to learn and perfect my abilities to write quality scientific articles
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