Introduction
Information is a set of data that is previously supervised and organized, creates a message based on a truthful act.
Information in organizations is of great importance as it increases the knowledge of individuals helping them to make decisions and achieve the objectives of the Organization.
Companies are more competent because they take information from their environment, understanding what the customer needs in order to provide a better service for them. In order to acquire information, external sources are used, which can be primary, secondary, internal and external.
Fuzzy information is unclear and imprecise information that obstructs the leaders and departments of an organization from being able to solve problems and make good decisions.
In the process of handling diffuse information, it should be used from the top management of the company since it is in charge of proposing the information needs.
1. Information
Information is a set of data that has been previously monitored and organized, which helps to create a message based on a truthful act.
The data are perceived through the senses, and once they are integrated, they end up generating information that is needed to produce knowledge. Wisdom is considered to be the ability to judge adequately when, how, where and for what purpose acquired knowledge is used. (Definition, 2008/2013)
When information is acquired, the state of knowledge of any person changes, allowing us to make decisions and solve problems.
1.1 Information within companies
A company is more competent when it knows how to take advantage of the information found in its environment. What really matters within organizations is that the information generates greater knowledge in the members of the institution to allow them to make decisions that help to achieve the objectives or goals that have been proposed in the company.
The relevance of information in organizations is described in the following points:
- It must fulfill the primary function, which is to increase the knowledge of individuals and reduce the insecurities they have, that is, to help users within the organization to make decisions that lead to the achievement of the proposed objectives and goals. To be able to generate competitiveness, this not only depends on the capacity of the institution to be able to offer a product or service with a better price than that of its competitors, it must include what the consumer really wants or see what is the most values, such as quality, service or after-sales attention. In order to achieve this, the company needs to obtain information that originates from its environment.It must integrate the units of the organization since the information obtained in some areas can be very useful for others although apparently they are not related Improvement of the productive and administrative processes, these are achieved thanks to the information that enriches the knowledge of human resources.
1.2 Sources of information
Different types of information are required at each level of the organization, for example:
At the top level, which is where executives and managers are, information is required for the design of strategies that help define the direction of the company, this type of information is usually specific and punctual.
At the middle level it is made up of managers and administrators, here more detailed information may be required than at the higher level for the design of commercial strategies.
At the operational level where the operators, vendors to name a few, information is required to carry out the activities and must be more detailed than at the medium level.
In order to acquire the information, “information sources” are used and they are divided into internal and external sources.
Internal sources:
They are in which the movement of information is within the company, the information is stored so that it is directed especially to those who make the decisions of the company. They can be internal databases which allow access to customer information; the financial statements that provide information on the financial position of the entity, the inventory record, sales record, cost record to name a few.
External sources:
They are those that are outside the company, where we can obtain information regarding trends, preferences and that could be the internet, competitor's premises, suppliers, distributors, clients, publications, among others.
Information sources can also be classified into primary and secondary.
Primary sources:
The information is obtained directly from the company, they are generally more expensive than secondary sources and are used when the information is inadequate, scarce and when these sources do not exist.
Examples of primary sources; people surveyed, interviews or polls for market research, sales records, sales staff among others.
Secondary sources:
These sources provide information or data that have already been published or collected for different purposes than the current one, are inexpensive and are obtained quickly, which is why they should be used before the primary information sources. Examples are: commercial database, government entities, statistical institutes, universities, chambers of commerce, libraries, newspapers, magazines. Books, publications, etc.
2. Fuzzy information
It is unclear information, imprecise for an ideal understanding. Diffuse information blocks organizations from understanding the meaning of the information.
Information can be fuzzy in situations where interrelated data cannot be measured for analysis. We have as an example the source of internal information, in this the data obtained on the sales record are measured, therefore the information is clear for understanding and analysis but in the primary sources such as a market study there may be different variables for measure since it has the subjective aspects of the product becoming a diffuse information.
The management of diffuse information in companies is of great importance since you can have a large amount of data but if it cannot be processed clearly, it will not help the leaders and departments of the institution to make good decisions.
Management of fuzzy information
(Cancino Velásques, 2012)
3. Process of handling diffuse information
The process must be implemented from the top management of the organization as it is in charge of proposing the information needs from a strategic point of view.
3.1 Information need
It arises with the concern of knowledge about:
- The internal and external environment of the organization: You need to know the environmental, socio-cultural situations, marketing plans, work situations, the national or local economy, the position you have in the competition, among others. Organizational interests and objectives: what are they the concerns, interests, needs that the company can satisfy Clients: It is to know what needs the company can cover Production or operation systems: these are the systems where the company's capacity is focused since they are in charge of providing the products to customers in such a way that it is of importance what type of system should be used for a better product offer. Technology: It must be known since production costs can be saved and it can be more efficient.
3.2 Information search
To be able to carry it out, it is essential to know what the information needs are, it is recommended to develop a schedule of activities that contains the following:
- Tasks to achieve organizational objectives Order the activities in a logical order of action Define the resources and means to be used Define the execution time.
3.3 Obtaining all kinds of information (diffuse information)
It is usual that when information is sought, a large amount of unclassified, disorganized, unstable information is obtained, giving the impression that it lacks substance and form. In order to determine whether the information 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?
3.4 Use of tools to locate and obtain clear information
These arise with the need to clarify and facilitate the understanding of information. Some tools that can be useful for handling fuzzy information are mentioned below.
Quantitative data analysis
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 software that facilitate obtaining information for decision-making.
Qualitative data analysis
These data are more difficult to analyze since they are measured based on subjective concepts so the information becomes diffuse. Through different heuristic methods, several solutions can be proposed and in some cases the methods used by specialized software can generate an ideal solution.
Diffuse logic
Fuzzy logic is a procedure that provides a simple and attractive way to obtain a conclusion from vague, imprecise or incomplete information, in general, fuzzy logic imitates a person when making decisions based on information with mentioned characteristics.
It is a computational intelligence technique that allows information to be processed with a high level of imprecision.
3.5 Evaluation of Information
This stage is relevant since it defines how to respond or react to the objectives or information needs.
In order to implement the evaluation you must:
- Establish evaluation objectives Distinguish from the general to the particular of the information Apply the appropriate criteria to capture, select, integrate and organize Provide coherence to the information Distinguish facts from opinions Find different points of view about the information and discuss them Feedback the actions that are being carried out Be able to see the evolution of information work Distinguish between primary and secondary sources
Reasons to implement the assessment
- Because the senior manager requests it To allow modifications As part of planning To be able to document results or impacts on the organization To provide opinions that give new perspectives
3.6 Processing and Production Control
This processing is carried out in order to understand, signify, locate and differentiate in time-space, know, express and convince so that it will later benefit the organization and achieve its success.
Some of the activities carried out for this stage are mentioned below.
- Synthesize, organize and represent information Be able to carry out an analysis and synthesis of information Reflect and conclude Mastering basic written expression techniques Making reports Using outlines Integrating paraphrasing, transforming information in some way Using tables Using graphs Knowing how to write an essay Not copying and pasting Use synoptic tables
All this will help to generate timely and clear communication instruments that respond to real information or communication requirements.
3.7 Decision making
The basic instrument for a good decision-making is clear, truthful and timely information since it is like the raw material for senior managers in terms of their determination, we can say that the higher the quality of the information, the better the quality of the decision. decision.
4. Communication in the management of diffuse information
Communication is a key factor within organizations since through it the flow of information occurs between the different areas that comprise it. Communication can occur horizontally when people are considered to be of the same status or vertical when it occurs between superiors and subordinates.
In order to facilitate the understanding of information, it is necessary that it be clear and concise, resulting in a communication process
conclusion
Diffuse information creates a series of problems within companies affecting their economy and operations, which is why its analysis and evaluation using tools is of vital importance so that there is good decision-making.
Bibliographic references
- Cancino Velásques, JA (June 19, 2012). WordPress. Obtained from Grow Business. (April 20, 2012). Grow business. Obtained from http://www.crecenegocios.com/fuentes-de-informacion/Definicion. (2008/2013). definition of. Retrieved from http://definicion.de/informacion/Osorio Cortes, CA (May 21, 2013). Gestiopolis. Obtained from http://www.gestiopolis.com/administracion-estrategia-2/manejo-de-informacion-difusa-en-las-organizaciones.htmUCLA. (sf). UCLA. Obtained from
