1st Edition
Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations A Literacy Approach
Knowledge is increasingly regarded as central, both to the successful functioning of organizations and to their strategic direction. Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations explores the nature and place of knowledge in contemporary organizations, paying particular attention to the management of information and data and to the crucial enabling role played by information and communication technology. Alistair Mutch draws on a wide range of literature spanning the disciplines of business, management, information management, and information systems. This material is located in a framework based on critical realism but covering the full range of contemporary debates.
Managing Information and Knowledge in Organizations distinguishes itself by:
- taking a process-based approach centered around the notion of information literacy
- giving more attention to issues of data and information than other texts
- emphasizing the importance of technology while continuing to stress the centrality of social and organizational factors
- placing issues of organizational and national culture in a broader politico-economic context.
Featuring such useful features as chapter objectives, mini-cases, chapter summaries, and suggestions for further reading, this text is ideal for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in knowledge management, information management, and management of information systems courses and modules.
Biography
Alistair Mutch is Professor of Information and Learning in the Department of Information Management and Systems, The Nottingham Trent University. He is the author of several books and numerous papers in the field of information management.
"There are continual calls within business and management education for the development of critically engaged, reflective practitioners. This book should do it! This is a much needed student text that connects management practice with the latest organizational theory in the best sense of relevance"
--Graeme Currie, Professor of Public Services Management, Nottingham University Business School
"Do you give much thought to the information you might need and where you will get it? Are you 'information literate'? Is your organization? Managing the creation and flow of knowledge is perhaps the foremost challenge in organizations of all types and sizes. Alistair Mutch provides a thoughtful, thorough, and readable account of these issues. His book deserves a wide readership. "
--Rick Delbridge, Professor of Organizational Analysis at Cardiff Business School and Senior Fellow of the UK's Advanced Institute of Management Research (AIM)
"This textbook provides a comprehensive treatment of the issues associated with managing information and knowledge by drawing upon extensive academic research that provides the reader with practical examples as well as a strong theoretical foundation for their engagement with the material that is presented. The focus on information literacy coupled with the critical realist stance that is taken offers a unique treatment of the challenges and opportunities associated with using data to inform practice within an organization. Its inter-disciplinary focus on technology, people, and organization provides for a holistic discussion of information and knowledge that is informative and refreshing."
-- Sue Newell, Cammarata Professor of Management, Bentley College and Professor of Information Management, Warwick Business School
"This book manages to rise to that difficult challenge of appealing to both an academic and practitioner audience. It has a wealth of examples and case studies which bring alive a subject which can often be superficially covered. The focus on information literacy is a good way of looking at the subject matter as often a focus on technology can mask the real business issues which are more often of a social rather than a technical nature. I found the book engaging and easy to follow with difficult concepts explained in an accessible manner."
--Gareth Lewis, Head of Applications Architecture, Team IS, Boots Drugstores
