Managing unstructured information

Abstract

When does more organisation lead to worse outcomes? Information and Knowledge Management were established on the principle that well-ordered collections confer significant benefits to individuals and organisations. A well-ordered collection makes it easier to identify the right resources, and easier to ensure that you are fully exploiting the entire information collection. It might therefore be assumed that it is always better to invest the time and effort into creating well-organised collections, particularly where the potential benefits outweigh the potential costs. But this is not always the case. Sometimes more highly ordered collections lead to worse outcomes. This is because highly-structured data-sets and information collections are more susceptible to various kinds of error and decay. Defining data in great detail allows more control but can also result in greater data drift and corruption. The more structure we impose the more ways there are for things to fall out of order. This editorial explores the role of unstructured and semi-structured information in the workplace, and how to maximise their benefits.

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