Information Sharing Basics - Industry Trend or Event

Sharing information is more than copying a phone list for someone. Sharing information is making as much relevant knowledge available as possible to all those who need it. How and how well you distribute information to superiors, employees, and others is a reflection of you, your company, and even your ability to perform. In a rapidly changing, competitive environment, there's only one real advantage--accurate and timely information. How well you keep everyone informed is limited only by your mind-set and by the information tools your company uses. Paper, sticky notes, and telephones play a large role, but there are some better ideas around.

Most businesses think of information sharing in terms of distributing reports and memos and holding meetings. We place the file cabinet in the middle of the room and hold a meeting once a month and proclaim that we share information freely. In reality, we can now share much more information by many different ways and in a variety of formats. Some of the methods provide speed and clarity that make the old ways obsolete. Effective information distribution and control requires an overview of what is possible and taking steps to implement actions. Just as there are different forms of distribution, there are different forms of information to be distributed.

There are two distinct types of important information that we work with every day, tangible and intangible. Tangible information is made up of words and numbers that describe the real things in business; like inventory, customers, and finances. Who does what, how much we paid, and when it has to be done are all bits of information that form the building blocks of a business. Tangible information is the quantitative description that shows what can be touched, counted, and seen. Intangible information explains company goals, processes, and relationships. A company mission statement is an intangible. It denotes a direction or philosophy, but not a fact. It constitutes the compass of a business. The intangible information makes up the "how-to" part of a business. A job process is an intangible. It describes how to do something. Except for the tangible facts incorporated into it, a job process describes something that can be subject to interpretation. Inevitably, it can and will be interpreted in many ways. Intan gible information is every bit as important in the operation of a business as the tangible information and, in some aspects, defines the business more than the tangible details.

The best way to differentiate between tangible and intangible information is to compare business to a sporting event. There are players, some sort of playing field, equipment, and the plays, all of which make up tangible or physical information about components of the game. On the other end of the equation, we find the intangible information. This includes each player's interpretation and understanding of the rules and plays. Clear understanding and skill must be brought together for great results--the game wouldn't work without both components. The secret to success in winning the game and winning in business is the same. Make sure everyone who needs to know the same things, in the same way, does. Every employee should perform daily actions to the best of his ability using everything learned previously. In sports, a play is shown to the players and practiced until every player knows his part. In business, there's little, if any, practice to get it right. Each play or action is the business. Every employee m ust have a clear understanding of the current rules and instructions--that's a requirement, not a luxury.

From the business leader's perspective, it's important to learn what information your team needs to succeed and how to fulfill those needs. When you provide your workers with better information, they become more effective. However, not everyone will remember everything he needs to know. Making sure that all employees know where to find what they need is more important.

Where and how do we get the information we share with each other? We get it from the outside world and our coworkers. Therefore, it's important that every employee is aware of the tools available to contribute to the workplace knowledge base.

Often, we think of information as just the words, numbers, and pictures we see come across our desks--information that can be easily stored and retrieved. Perhaps we need to consider other information to add to the list of things to be shared. Often the sharing of experiences and techniques is done only verbally between a few people, if at all. Experience, or rather the knowledge learned through experience, can and should also be stored by recording it visually and verbally. We find it's much easier to verbally communicate an experience to a few rather than recording the information for others. With the technology tools available today, we need to rethink that mind-set. In order for a business to fully gain from the experiences of all members, there needs to be a process and methodology to preserving those experiences in a form that can be reproduced to share with many others, not just one or two people. Video clips and sound recordings that can be easily stored and distributed are often an overlooked option . Consider exploring what you define as important knowledge within your business and be open to different ways of storing that information.

The primary method we use to distribute information to others is verbal communications. We do it formally, informally, up close, and from afar. Meetings are common and a useful tool to inform a group of people about the same thing in the same way. Technology provides other tools for sharing information in a meeting format. Teleconferencing is very common today, and videoconferencing is becoming more popular. Group vocal communication has the benefit of instant feedback for clarity if someone doesn't understand something and misunderstandings can be resolved immediately.

Still, much of what is communicated is done with paper. The computer revolution predicted the paperless office would arrive soon. We're still waiting. The computer hasn't made for a paperless office. On the contrary, it's bloated the office. Reports are printed with facts and information that become obsolete before the end of the day, but times are changing. Are you ready?

The computer revolution is maturing with the growth of the Internet and the interconnectedness of the world. Now, those who need it can have massive access to the same information at the same time anywhere in the world. With the speed in which that information changes, there's no paper alternative. Constantly improving computer-to-computer communication is going to prune the paper jungle. Paper will never go away, but its usefulness as a way to quickly share information will change.

Computers and their networks will make paper information sharing decline for three reasons. First, paper is date stamped the moment the ink hits it; therefore, it's no longer current. Second, paper is expensive and time-consuming to use. The third and biggest reason paper use between parties will get smaller is that to share it, you have to physically transport it to the other party, which often takes longer and costs more than sharing electronic files.

So if distribution of paper-based information is going to change, how is information sharing going to change? The answer lies in e-mail--the business messaging workhorse of the 21st century. With e-mail, current information can be sent to everyone or to a specific group with the click of a mouse almost instantaneously. There's no easier or faster way to tell someone about a change or a problem, or to deliver information. Text, pictures, and sounds can all be sent to the other side of the planet easily, rapidly, and inexpensively.

By minimizing the amount of paper you use to share information and placing more documents on a network, you can maintain better control of that information. It allows you to keep one current version to be used by all. Sharing an out-of-date document can be worse than not sharing it at all. A periodic review of the documents that are used every day is a good way to ensure that only current versions are distributed and used.

Another benefit of computer networks and storage systems is their ability to store large volumes of documents in a minimal amount of space. Scanning and OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technologies can take information from documents, photos, and drawings and put it into a digital format. A paper copy can always be printed if needed, but combined with e-mail, digital storage of documents is a very powerful tool. Click, I want it; Click, I'm done. And best of all--Click, I just sent a copy to the other side of the world.

It's increasingly easy to share information with others once the decision has been made to do so. The other side of the sharing equation is knowing what to share and what not to share.

Most information in a business could be labeled as public information--information open to everyone in the business. However, not all information is, or should be, public. Some information is private, such as employee records, competitive secrets, and sensitive information. Most types of information will fit neatly in the public or private areas; some won't. It's management's job to decide what does and doesn't get shared.

Most employees are aware of things they really don't need to know. Also, no one wants to think that his private information is out there for all to see. Employees don't expect such things to be shared. What about things such as impending layoffs or growth plans? Sometimes it's better to risk a bit by sharing certain information. Sharing the facts--good and bad--can relieve tension or build excitement. Sharing also builds trust and can end rumors.

Rumors are shared information--the only question is one of accuracy. Have you ever seen a good outcome from bad information? Rumors are never easy or pleasant to deal with. One option for managing them is sharing relevant information.

It's important for everyone to know the public factor of the information kept at a business. How about outside the company? Since employees come and go, perhaps your company should consider an information policy, such as a nondisclosure agreement.

With the everyday glut of information, your wastebasket is a good friend to have; it may also be your company's greatest threat. If you don't own a shredder or contract for a shredding service, you're taking a risk. One wrong item in the wrong hands and you can be out of business, out of the deal, or on the national news. Not only do you need to shred certain things, but also, and more importantly, you need to make sure your employees know what does and doesn't go in the trash in one piece.

As a cornerstone of every business, information used to make decisions must be accurate and current. Providing tools for employees to share that information is paramount in today's business environment. Every business needs to capitalize on the experiences of all its workers. Employee knowledge learned from on-the-job experience needs to be stored and shared. It's also important to know what to share and what not to share. Sharing information is a balancing act of considerations and actions that will determine your success in the information age.

David A. Peterson (dpeters1@columbus.rr.com) is a team leader at a major logistics company and a freelance writer.

Paper vs. Electronics for Information Storage and Distribution

1. On a small scale, paper is an easy and inexpensive way to share information. Passing out a memo to a dozen people isn't expensive or time-consuming. The challenge comes when you have more people and some are in different locations. With needs like that, paper isn't a practical distribution method, and electronic distribution is the better method.

2. For start-up companies, paper offers advantages. There's no large outlay of funds to buy equipment. However, costs are coming down on technology that supports electronic distribution and storage. Scanners and CD-ROM read/writers together can cost less than $500. In a small office where floor space costs money, electronic storage is competitive. For example: Renting 1 square foot of office space at $5 a square foot per month equals $60 a year. Four file cabinets, each taking up about 3 square feet, occupy about as much space as a small desk. So using these figures, 4 file cabinets x 3 square feet = 12 square feet x $60 = $720 a year for the space the file cabinets require. Although time to scan and index documents is a factor, office floor space can go from dead space to productive space.

3. A strong advantage to electronic storage over paper is disaster recovery. A four-drawer file cabinet holds about 18,000 sheets of paper. A standard CD-ROM disk can store about 250,000 pages of double-spaced typewritten text. There's no way to take a copy of your file cabinet off-site, but a few CDs is quite reasonable.

4. Information distribution costs are a factor to consider if your company has offices in different locations. Many Internet service providers offer unlimited access and e-mail for a set monthly fee. It costs 34 cents to mail a letter plus the copy, envelope, and handling costs. What about next-day delivery charges? As far as faxing, long-distance calls are charged by the minute and faxes can take time. Electronic distribution might be a money saver.

5. Paper has little if any training costs involved. Scanning and filing are relatively simple to do; however, computer systems require that employees have some level of training in order to get the full benefit from the capabilities a system may offer. The trade-off for training costs is in increased productivity.

Food for Thought

The biggest challenge in looking at electronic storage and distribution of information is employee paradigms. We all become habitual in our thinking, and changing habits is hard to do. Changing systems requires some selling of the benefits to the users. Electronic information distribution won't resolve basic problems with company systems, but can greatly enhance productivity if the basics are good. Going digital has other advantages in terms of perceptions. Younger employees expect to use the latest technology, and in a competitive job market, it may make a difference in getting and keeping fresh talent. Customer impressions of a company are related to how those customers see you do your work. The bottom line: Will electronic information sharing enhance your company's ability to be competitive?

COPYRIGHT 2001 Quality Publishing
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group