If information flows well between and within organizations, it empowers people by enabling them to make evidence-based choices; it promotes efficiency; and it enables creativity. Information does not flow well by chance: the process needs to be managed, by everyone concerned. This book introduces tools to analyze how information is used in an organization and discusses both strategic and practical options for improvements, in the context of the broader information-related changes and debates currently taking place in the world.

This edition covers the major developments in these external debates. Discussions of knowledge management, capacity building, institutional learning, evaluation and impact assessment, research, information products and evidence-based work have been added, together with a number of case studies.



REVIEWS

"...this book will be useful to anybody who works in a development organization - not just professional communicators. It is equally of benefit to trainers and programme workers, as well as support staff. ... One of [the author's] great strengths is to question concepts, approaches, and philosophies and equally importantly to then test the theories and the lip service against practice."
Lilian Chatterjee, Director of Communications, International Institute for Environment and Development

CONTENTS

• Preface
• 1 Introduction
  • Why read a book on information management?
  • Who is it for?
  • Structure of book
• 2 Information, development, and global change
  • An information society
  • Information, culture, and power
  • Impact on development
• 3 Strategic approaches to information management
  • What is meant by information and its management
  • Knowledge management
  • New working practices
  • Management choices
  • Thinking strategically
• 4 Management issues
  • Personal competencies
  • Management information
  • Information economics
  • Tracking and understanding progress
• Using knowledge
  • Creating and using evidence
  • Information products
  • Diffusion, infusion, and linkage
• 6 Information architecture
  • What is an 'information architecture'?
  • What is an 'information architecture' for?
  • Understanding the 'information' involved
  • Adopting information architecture
  • Practical steps to developing your information architecture
• 7 Information and communications technologies
  • Introduction
  • Practical uses of ICT
  • On-line services
  • Training and support
  • Strategic capacity
  • Potential disadvantages of ICT
  • Managing ICT
• Appendix 1 Maps and diagrams
• Appendix 2 Supporting web-to-email services
• Bibliography
• References
• Index