Data, information, and Organizational knowledge - Essay Example

Data, information, and Organizational knowledge Introduction Knowledge is considered to be the power of an individual on how he/she reacts to the things around them. Hence, it is very vital that proper training are provided to the employees in the organization about their job roles which would result in better functioning of the organization. This paper will thus emphasise the contingency theory to elaborate on the significance of data, information and organizational knowledge to facilitate better organizational efficiencies.

Discussion Data, information and knowledge are frequently applied alternatively and are often considered to be of similar concepts, but with certain differences in ideologies. Data usually denotes raw facts that are primarily collected to process information. It is worth mentioning that data collected needs to be processed in order to assert accurate and unambiguous information. Theoretically, information is considered to be the evidence obtained from the data collected after processing. And knowledge is usually considered to be the way of developing new ideas by utilizing the facts and information available or generated (The Pennsylvania State University, 2008).

Contingency theory generally describes the contribution of the various internal and external factors that helps the leader in achieving the desired goal. It is also known as the ‘it all depends’ theory, as the outcome or the final result of the investment made, depends on the contribution of the various factors that would help in achieving the final/pre-set goals. Correspondingly, the main factors that are taken into consideration while applying or implementing the theory are Technology, People/Work force, task performed and the structure of the organization (Levinson, 2007).

Figure: Different Factors of the Contingency Theory (uta.edu, n.d.) In relation to the above mentioned theory it has been viewed that technology is considered to be a vital factor that heps in the achievement of the desired organization goal. Thus it can be said that data, information and knowledge can be categorize under the technology and people factors that helps an association in acheiivng its goal (Harvard Business School, 2005). Real-world examples Example 1: Mayo Clinic Hospital Mayo Clinic Hospital is considered to be amongst the top rated medical centres in the US.

Established in the year 1889, the hospital is known for providing world class facilities to its patients coming from different parts of the world. The major factor that helped the hospital to attain such a position amid other healthcare organizations resulted from its rapid implementation of technology. The medical group collects data from its patients and implements new strategies according to their demands. The healthcare also conducts research to understand the various diseases resulting in receiving around 2300 research protocols for studies performed on a continuous basis.

In addition, the hospital also maintains an online database for health information that benefits the patients to identify their disease on the basis of the symptoms they perceive (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2013). Example 2: Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital is amongst the most trusted healthcare organizations in the US. It was established in the year 1811 and has a total number of 1,057 beds currently. The main factors that contributed in the success of the company are the implementation of technology and the maintenance of data for future reviews by experts.

It is worth mentioning that the hospital also accords all the medical accounts of every patient, which helps them to implement new strategies and plans when serving the customers with high degree of efficiency and therefore, gain better loyalty from its targeted community groups (Massachusetts General Hospital, 2013; Wiig, n.d.). Thus, implementation of technology in the maintenance of data as well as information has contributed in both the healthcare hospitals’ achievement of the determined goals, as postulated in the ideology of the contingency theory.

In both the healthcare organizations, it can be viewed that one of the major factors to have contributed in achieving the respective goals is proper maintenance of data, information and implementation of better knowledge. It has also been viewed that implementation of updated technological equipments has also helped the organization in achieving the pre-set goal with efficiency (Newman & Conrad, 1999). However, it has been viewed that other factors like task and environment have not been stated elaborately in both the organizations’ websites.

This might in turn affect the generalisability and rationality of the inferences drawn by the management of these organizations, on the basis of contingency theory (Stone, Hughe & Dailey, 2008). Conclusion Knowledge management is considered to be the process of generating values through the application of strategies, which are executed and practiced by employees within an organization. Contingency theory denotes knowledge sharing approaches that are reinforced within equilibrium wherein the individuals distribute their appreciated knowledge.

In consideration to knowledge management, the contingency theory signifies a discipline that is likely to accelerate the performance of an individual as well as an organization by leveraging present as well as future knowledge assets. References Harvard Business School. (n.d.). The knowledge coach. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4562.html Levinson, M. (2007). Knowledge management definition and solutions. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.cio.com/article/print/40343 Massachusetts General Hospital. (2013). Medical records.

Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.massgeneral.org/notices/medicalrecords.aspx Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2013). About mayo clinic. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.mayoclinic.org/about/ Newman, B., & Conrad, K. W. (1999). A framework for characterizing knowledge management methods, practices, and technologies. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from www.km-forum.org/KM-Characterization-Framework.pdf Stone, P. W., Hughe, R. & Dailey, M. (2008). Chapter 21creating a safe and high-quality health care environment.

Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2634/ The Pennsylvania State University. (2008). Lesson 1: Data, information, and knowledge. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.personal.psu.edu/glh10/ist110/topic_old/topic02/topic02_02.html uta.edu. (n.d.). Contingency theory. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://wweb.uta.edu/projects/sswtech/6371/coursepack/theory-contingency.pdf Wiig, K. M. (n.d.). On the management of knowledge. Retrieved August 23, 2013 from http://www.km-forum.org/wiig.htm