In a globalized world, due to the enormous changes in the market; Today, the success of an organization does not depend only on how it manages its material and human resources, but on how it uses its intangible assets; this, through the existence of an adequate flow of information between organizations and their environment.
Thus, in recent years with the incorporation of information technologies facilitating data management, improvements have been offered in managerial decision-making processes, collaborating in the search for the development of business management.
Currently, a company is more competitive the more it stands out in the exploitation of the information it obtains from the environment, and for this reason, the evaluation of current techniques and available technology has been fundamental, since it seeks to provide efficiency to the management of relevant information. In the so-called “information age”, there are continuous references to the value of the management of this area, in companies and organizations, as a critical factor for success. (Bustelo & García-Morales, 2000)
Likewise, it is important to mention that the information is instrumental and not final, since it serves as a support at all levels and organizational areas, therefore, it can no longer be considered as a mere support or support for activities, but as a resource primordial. In this way, companies and institutions are constantly generating internal information and capturing external, imperfect, asymmetric and incomplete information, on various and repeated occasions.
In this sense, it should be promoted that the information flows, without any obstacle, avoiding any situation of stagnation, since it is the most appropriate way to get the most out of the information that is obtained and that is operated.
Information in the organization
Companies dedicate a significant part of their time and financial and human resources to obtaining, processing, applying and projection of information. For this reason, information plays a decisive role in the company and becomes one of its main advantages. However, it must be clear, precise and adaptable to the training and profile of the people to whom it is addressed; it has to be fast and available when it is needed, in a complete and harmonized way. (Arribas, 2000)
However, to be able to carry out this task effectively, it is a priority to be aware of any news that affects the development of its management and use. In this regard, it should be mentioned that it is equally detrimental to be lacking in useful information, such as being left over with it and not being able to make an effective selection. Sometimes there is the paradox that there is excess of banal information and insufficient practical and useful information. (Gómez, 2007)
That is why the growing production of information and greater complexity in decision-making, advises the use of new mechanisms for its management, as an element to reduce uncertainty for decision-making. However, many companies face difficulties, as it is very complex for them to convert this input into useful output information, in a timely manner.
Important concepts
Information: It is a set of data about some event, fact, phenomenon or situation, which, organized in a given context, easily find its meaning, whose purpose may be to reduce uncertainty or increase knowledge about something.
Breaking down the previous concept, it is concluded that the information is a set of data about some event, fact, phenomenon or situation. For example, the number of employees in an institution could represent a set of data, which alone does not have important significance.
Also, the information contains data organized in a certain context. For example, if the data are collected: number of employees and annual sales volume, and also located within the context of classifying companies according to their size, the result is: information about whether an organization is micro, small, medium or large company. On the other hand, the information has a specific meaning, that is, it represents something specific to someone, since its value depends on who, when, for what and why it uses said information, for example, in relation to what has been described above; Classifying a business according to its size could be valuable to a salesperson because it helps them determine the buying potential of a particular business.
Finally, the purpose of the information is to reduce uncertainty or increase knowledge about a given topic. That is, reduce the lack of sure and clear knowledge of something; which generates greater security in the person and allows making decisions with a greater probability of success. (Thompson, 2008)
Diffuse: The (Real Academia Española, 2014) defines this concept as: Vague or imprecise, blurred or unclear. By what refers to that something is not well known, that it is incomplete or unclear.
Information sources
In the exercise of their work, managers and businessmen have observed greater confidence in the informal procedures for obtaining information, through networks of interpersonal relationships: contacts, colleagues, experts, intuition, experience, etc.; than in the formal means for obtaining it, such as: databases, studies or reports, for example. Thus delaying the consideration of the application of professional information systems. However, external factors such as globalization, politics, the economy, among others, have caused entities to not only require information from their own sector, or their internal activity, but also need to follow the evolution of other apparently entities. far away. Seeking to avoid that the information they require is diffuse.
For this reason, organizations have found it necessary to complement their traditional sources of informal information with new formal sources that cover their growing need for information. However, its search always implies the management of those sources that have to provide us with the necessary data to satisfy the information demand. In this regard, information sources are the various types of documents that contain useful data to satisfy a demand for information or knowledge. (Gómez, 2007)
Information sources according to their content
- Primary information sources: These are sources that contain new or original information and whose disposition does not usually follow any predetermined scheme. They are accessed directly or through secondary information sources. They mainly include books (monographs) and magazines and newspapers (as far as documentary materials are concerned). This type of document constitutes the most widely used bibliographic material. Secondary information sources: Those that contain material already known, but organized according to a specific scheme. The information it contains refers to primary documents. They are the result of applying the techniques of documentary analysis on the primary sources and of the extraction, condensation or other type of reorganization of the information they contain,in order to make it accessible to users (example: abstract journals, indexes, databases…). Its main characteristic is to inform about topics of interest in different contexts or to lead to the retrieval of information of your choice. (Gómez, 2007)
Information sources according to the origin of the information
- Source of personal information: They offer information about people or groups that are professionally related. The most common is oral transmission and schools and professional actions stand out. Any person or group can constitute a personal source. Institutional information source: Provides information about an institution or organization that performs functions or activities of public interest. Documentary information sources: Provides information from or about a document. The document is the medium that contains the information and the one that transmits it. (Ecured, sf)
Information characteristics
There are numerous studies on the characteristics that the information should have and that gives it value within the company. Among them according to (Gómez, 2007) the following stand out:
- The organization must decide what information in the environment is relevant and the way in which it must be communicated for its full use, since strategic decisions taken without the correct information can cause organizational deterioration. The information must be accurate to have quality, and its cost increases as the quality also increases. Wealth and quantity.Wealth refers to the transport capacity of a communication channel. In terms of quantity, there must be enough information to be able to carry out the work. Speed is an important factor when using the information. It is one of the most important characteristics of the information, since it is decisive for the user, the ease of access to information sources. In this case, it is common for the structure of the organization to cause restrictions on access to sources of valuable and quality information. Information has a symbolic value when the possession of certain information by certain users, confers prestige on that person.
It must be remembered that the intangibility of information as an intrinsic characteristic distinguishes it from other company resources and makes it very difficult to handle and manage.
Information need in the company
Internal and external information is inherent in organizations, where people interact by exchanging all kinds of data; for this reason, companies must facilitate access to the information necessary for the development of their corresponding functions.
Likewise, all its members must understand that the information available may be of use to another collaborator and, therefore, they must have an attitude against secrecy, taking an active stance regarding its dissemination. Meanwhile, to properly manage communications, it is necessary to choose the appropriate tools and have the precise communication guidelines, since each area needs its own channel, frequency and communication style. On the other hand, the efficient and productive performance of tasks, as well as decision-making in an organization, is based on the information that comes from the environment.
Thus, only those organizations that use quality information, distributed quickly and efficiently through effective communication channels, will be able to offer a better final product or service.
Eliminate uncertainty through information
One of the main objectives of accurate and timely information, through knowledge and interpretation of the environment, is the elimination of uncertainty. For this reason, the organization must seek and collect all information from the environment that allows it to predict the possible changes that may affect it to a greater or lesser extent in achieving its objectives. Information is the vital and fundamental part of every company and it is this that provides it with a high level of competitiveness compared to others. (Pereyra, sf)
Fuzzy information
Fuzzy logic is a procedure that provides a simple and attractive way to draw a conclusion from vague, imprecise, or incomplete information. In general, fuzzy logic mimics a person when making decisions based on information with those characteristics mentioned. It is a technique that allows information to be processed with a high level of imprecision.
Therefore, fuzzy information is unclear and inaccurate information that obstructs the leaders and departments of an organization to solve problems and make good decisions. The management of diffuse information in companies is of great importance since you can have a large amount of data, however, if these cannot be processed clearly, it will not allow the leaders and departments of the organization to make adequate decisions.
In this regard, the analysis of quantitative information is usually clearer since it is given numerically. Its measurement and analysis can be carried out having knowledge about the use of various tools that facilitate obtaining information for decision-making. While the analysis of qualitative data, it observes greater complexity, since they are measured based on subjective concepts and therefore, the information becomes diffuse. (Ramón, 2013)
In this sense, it is usual that when information is sought, a large amount of it is obtained unclassified, disorganized and unstable, giving the impression that it lacks substance and form. Therefore, in order to determine if the information that has been obtained is diffuse, the following questions should be asked: is it adequate to the business needs of the companies? Is it accurate and complete? Is it reliable? is it accessible to members of the organization?
In this regard, the ability to be precise and construct instructions about their behavior decreases; for which he called this effect the principle of incompatibility and then introduced the concept of a fuzzy set, under which resides the idea that the elements on which human thought is built are not numbers but linguistic labels.
Thus, fuzzy logic makes it possible to represent common knowledge, which is mostly qualitative and not necessarily quantitative, in a mathematical language through the theory of fuzzy sets and characteristic functions associated with them. It allows working with both numerical data and linguistic terms, however, linguistic terms are inherently less precise than numerical data, but on many occasions they provide more useful information for human reasoning.
Thus, the most attractive characteristics of fuzzy logic are its flexibility, its tolerance for imprecision, its ability to model non-linear problems, and its basis in natural language. (Pérez, 2005)
The information has such characteristics as non-linearity, instability, chaos, uncertainty, etc., which make it difficult to study everyday phenomena and events. For this reason, uncertainty and subjectivity constitute factors immersed in the events that are responsible for distorting the necessary information, in this case, to establish correct decisions. In this way, uncertainty, which is that situation or circumstance in which there is no certainty, that is, it presents vagueness, inaccuracy, approximation or possibility regarding something, generates imperfect knowledge, but not ignorance. An example of this may be the value of the dollar, since it is not known for sure if it will have more value today, or if it will be maintained tomorrow, its price falls, or it rises suddenly.
Subjectivity, on the other hand, is a quality of what exists only for the subject, for the consciousness of the one who experiences it. This means that each person makes different judgments according to their preferences and the state of mind they have at the moment.
It is to be observed that the subject is of importance for this logic, since it is the one who thinks and makes decisions in a world full of uncertainty, there being a diversity of opinions and different ways of observing or living situations, so there are degrees of truth to the there is both uncertainty and subjectivity. Fuzzy logic allows acquiring a different way of facing situations to facilitate understanding of reality, since it provides tools to preserve the concept of vagueness instead of eliminating it through the arbitrary imposition of true or false sentences from linear logic. (Rojas, 2014)
conclusion
The decision-making process is one of the most important activities in the business world, through internal and external information obtained through various means. Currently, most organizations have specialized systems capable of providing the information that management requires for decision-making and in a timely manner. However, there are still large amounts of fuzzy information that do not provide value in the decision-making process and that could represent in hidden data, the success or failure of the direction taken.
Thus, organizational teams face a period of great opportunities; but also of major risks that cause stagnation in their growth, the decrease of their profit margins, labor conflicts, among many others, that require that managers have relevant information for their evasion.
Finally, organizations are complex systems, where the human factor plays a fundamental role in achieving profitable and sustained growth. And since its members are people with specialized knowledge, they must be integrated into a common task, where the exchange of information is paramount.
References
- Arribas, A. (2000). Communication in the company. The importance of internal information in the company. Latin Magazine of Social Communication. Bustelo, C., & García-Morales, E. (2000). Consulting in information organization. The information professional, 4 - 10. Ecured. (sf). Obtained from https://www.ecured.cu/Categor%C3%ADa:Obras_de_referenciaGómez, M. (2007). Communication in organizations to improve productivity: The use of the media as an information source in Andalusian companies and institutions. Málaga: Doctoral thesis. Malaga University. Faculty of communication sciences. Obtained from http://www.biblioteca.uma.es/bbldoc/tesisuma/17672697.pdf 5. Pereyra, A. (sf). University of the Republic. Eliminate uncertainty through information. Retrieved from http://decon.edu.uy / ~ myth / note% 20 uncertainty% 20e% 20information.pdf Pérez, R. (2005). Processing and Optimization of Raman Spectra by Fuzzy Logic Techniques: Application to the identification of Pictorial Materials. http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/6887: Online doctoral thesis. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Ramón, d. (November 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-la-organizacion/ Real Academia Española. (October 2014). Obtained from http://dle.rae.es/?id=DkacJQKRojas, MC (2014). Activity-based costing system and fuzzy logic. México, DF: ANFECA.Thompson, I. (October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.htmlProcessing and Optimization of Raman Spectra by Fuzzy Logic Techniques: Application to the identification of Pictorial Materials. http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/6887: Online doctoral thesis. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Ramón, d. (November 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-la-organizacion/ Real Academia Española. (October 2014). Obtained from http://dle.rae.es/?id=DkacJQKRojas, MC (2014). Activity-based costing system and fuzzy logic. México, DF: ANFECA.Thompson, I. (October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.htmlProcessing and Optimization of Raman Spectra by Fuzzy Logic Techniques: Application to the identification of Pictorial Materials. http://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/6887: Online doctoral thesis. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Ramón, d. (November 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-la-organizacion/ Real Academia Española. (October 2014). Obtained from http://dle.rae.es/?id=DkacJQKRojas, MC (2014). Activity-based costing system and fuzzy logic. México, DF: ANFECA.Thompson, I. (October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.htmlUniversitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Ramón, d. (November 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-la-organizacion/ Real Academia Española. (October 2014). Obtained from http://dle.rae.es/?id=DkacJQKRojas, MC (2014). Activity-based costing system and fuzzy logic. México, DF: ANFECA.Thompson, I. (October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.htmlUniversitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Ramón, d. (November 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-la-organizacion/ Real Academia Española. (October 2014). Obtained from http://dle.rae.es/?id=DkacJQKRojas, MC (2014). Activity-based costing system and fuzzy logic. México, DF: ANFECA.Thompson, I. (October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.html(October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from http://www.promonegocios.net/mercadotecnia/que-es-informacion.html(October 2008). Promonegocios.net. Obtained from
Thanks
Special thanks to the research professor Fernando Aguirre y Hernández, professor of the master's degree in administrative engineering attached to the Orizaba Technological Institute, for the technical contribution to the construction of this article and its direction in the process of learning systemic thinking. Likewise, to the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) dedicated to promoting and stimulating the development of science and technology in Mexico, for financial support for postgraduate studies.
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