REORGANIZING ORGANIZATIONS AND INFORMATION - HOW KNOWLEDGE TECHNOLOGIES SQUASH HIERARCHY AND ALTER THE ROLE OF INFORMATION

Data hierarchy begets organizational hierarchy whose structure should follow that of its information. Distribution information demands distributed lines of authority. When organizational and information structures conflict, an organization finds itself fighting the flow of its own information. The author urges that organizations re-examine their organizational and information flows in order to ensure their proper integration. Harmonization of data and organizational flows, he argues, will improve human resources, technology utilization, and the organization as a whole.