More On Sources Of Information

Introduction

"...it is easy to ignore what's around you or build systems, processes and culture that shields you from what's happening..."
Michelle Gibbings, 2023e

Despite the use of computers and the Internet increasing access to information, it still can be synthesised and/or filtered, ie you may only receive and see what others select for you, or you may suffer from information obesity, ie too much information which is mostly irrelevant. Generally, management relies on information supplied from within the organisation. Thus management, especially senior, needs to develop alternative sources of information that supplies the complete picture, ie what they need to know.

Some ways include

- regularly walking around the different departments of your organisation and having informal discussions with stakeholders, such as staff, customers, etc

- accidental meetings with stakeholders outside the office, like in the street, shopping mall, etc, will provide a spontaneous opportunity, often for quite detailed conversations

- at social functions encourage stakeholders to bring their partners, etc as sometimes the partners will tell you things that stakeholders will not

- have regular informal meetings with different stakeholders.

Some specific examples:

- CEO of a large retail store would go to a different department every morning to have informal conversations with different stakeholders

- head of a bank would regularly go to different departments within the bank to have informal discussions

- school principal visiting the tuckshop area every lunchtime to have informal conversations with students

- another school principal was head coach of the dominant sport in his school where he could observe both the students and their parents

NB Sometimes better and more accurate information comes from the informal sources than the formal avenues