Knowledge Management

A communication expert once defined a system as a whole composed of interrelated parts. The performance of each part affects the performance of the whole. Thus, every part is vital and requires equal attention. That is why when one organ fails in our bodily system, it seems that the rest becomes dysfunctional as well. The same principle applies with information systems. As a system, components cooperate with each other lest they contradict and fail to fulfill the purpose of the system.

Contrary to popular use, the term information systems is not synonymous to computer-based information systems. In fact, this is only refers to one component of the system itself: the information technology component. Information systems refer to the system of activities, data records, and persons that process information and data in an establishment, whether manual or automated.

In a company, the Information and Technology Department is in-charge of the information technology portion of the system, including its development, influence, use, and application. According to Langefors, a computer-based information system is a medium used for recording, disseminating, and storing data. Inasmuch as individuals operate information systems, these are also considered as social systems, where the values, goals, and beliefs of individuals and groups affect the performance of technology. This can also be referred to as the utilization of technology in institutions, organizations, and society.

Over the years, theories have been formulated to explain information systems. One theory avers that information systems are basically composed to three parts namely human, organization, and technology. As already explained earlier, it could be a system that involves either manual or automated processes, which consists of methods, machines, and personnel that work together so as to process, collect, transmit, and disseminate information for its users. Telecommunications views information systems differently. Here, t particularly refers to the technology itself such as computer-related equipment systems or subsystems that serve various purposes like acquisition, management, storage, control, interchange, reception, manipulation and many others. It could also be software, hardware, or firmware.

Information systems studies flow from the field of computer science, in order to take a closer look of how information is managed within organizations. Through time, it has become part of management courses in universities and colleges, where it is stressed as a scientific filed of inquiry in management studies. Moreover, this field of study has become in demand today, because of its usefulness in making an organization with staff, material, and capital work. In most companies, the Chief Information Officer sits on board meetings alongside other CEOs.

With the shift in trends from product-based to knowledge-based economies, Information Systems have become a legitimate field of study. In essence, companies today simply do not compete on the basis of product, but on innovation and process. A shift from the too limited focus on product quantity and quality to the more sophisticated production process is easily noticeable. Thus, companies today capitalize on information as represented in innovations, human resources, experiences, among others, without which battles in the arena of economic competition are lost. It all boils down to the fact that without a strong and flexible information infrastructure, a company never wins at all in this Information Age.

Knowledge Management |