Book Review James Kalbach Title: Information Ecology: Mastering the information and knowledge environment Author: Thomas H. Davenport, with Laurence Prusek Published: Oxford University Press, c1997 Format: x, 255 p. ; index ISBN: 0-19-511168-0 Brief Review Audience: Knowledge management professionals, but interesting for IAs. Scope: Presents high-level concepts and introduces information ecologies. Provides some, but little how-to information. Good points: Clearly written and uses many real-life examples Good model of information ecology General human-centered view Call to looking closer at human factors. Bad points: Lacks real practical advice Summary and Review "Why technology is not enough for success in the information age," a phrase that appears on the dust cover, perhaps best summarizes this book's main thesis. Thomas Davenport is an expert in knowledge management and has consulted blue chip firms such as IBM, Xerox, General Motors, and others. From years of hard work on the front lines of knowledge management, the author has developed a fresh, new ways of looking at information organization. His view is holistic and encompasses the total information environment of a given organization, what he calls information ecology. Like real biological ecologies, information ecologies are rich and complex. At the risk of sounding "green," warm and fuzzy, Davenport champions a human-centered approach to knowledge management. From page one on, the author attacks the traditional approaches to knowledge management that often solely rely on technology. This gives rise to what he calls the "illusion of control." Organizations, he claims, become complacent about knowledge management and preoccupied with technological solutions, such as elaborate corporate databases. After all, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a company-wide server farm and database should solve internal information problems, shouldn't it? Davenport clearly demonstrates that most information in an organization, however, is NOT recorded on computers. Here he makes the distinction between data, information and knowledge, an important one that is often overlooked. Much of knowledge, he points out, is tacit and involves human involvement. But the author laments the current state of affairs: "We all participate, to a greater or lesser degree, in a culture that values technology and scientific control over the real, unpredictable human world" (p. 25). The book begins with a clear explanation of a model for information ecologies. The analogy he uses is the Amazon rain forest, lending a clear picture to the reader of how complex an issue information ecology is. Three levels or types of information environments are first identified: The external environment, the broadest or the three, encompasses the organizational environment, which in turn encompasses the information environment. Most of the book focuses on this last level, providing a clear frame for the following discourse. The information environment is broken into six components, each of which is devoted a chapter: Information strategy Information politics Information behavior and culture Information staff Information processes Information architecture Information architecture is, as the author admits, "a confusing concept that can embody several alternative meanings" (p. 36). In this book Information Architecture refers to the mapping and structure of information systems and structures onto an organization. It is generally not used in the same sense as with developing digital products, and it deals with system architecture and information mapping in knowledge management. The book is well cited and offers many appropriate examples from real situations. He also includes short assessment surveys at the end of most chapters. Though very brief, these serve as a nice summary for understanding the main points of each chapter and applying them to the reader's current situation. In spite of claims on the back cover that this book "shows how to develop an overall strategy for information use" (back dust cover), this work is not a how-to manual. The final chapter, for instance, entitled "Implementing Information Ecology," is afforded mere 10 pages of discussion. Little real practical advice is offered here. This is perhaps the books weakest point. Overall, however, Davenport makes well-backed arguments for adopting a more holistic, human-oriented approach to information organization. Although many points are repeated ad nauseum, his argumentation is valid and well supported. The author is able to hold the attention of the reader well and presents clearly written treatments of at times complex and abstract topics. The notion of looking at broader, more complex information environments is important and in the future will be a strategic differentiator. From the Web Review by Peter Morville (June 1, 2000), http://argus-acia.com/content/review001.html The traditional approach to information management -invest in new technologies and cross your fingers - just doesn't work. We need to take a human-centered approach to designing and managing information environments that encompasses: Information strategy Information politics, behavior, and culture Information staff and management processes And information architecture The authors (both long-standing gurus in the field of knowledge management) dedicate a chapter to tearing apart traditional "top-down" approaches to information architecture design, in favor of "emergent" or "bottom-up" architectures that share much in common with biological ecologies, including integration of diverse types of information (species diversity) and recognition of evolutionary change. They go on to define the following success factors for information management: Senior management awareness, support, and participation Linking of information ecology to firm economics Absence of empire-building managers Clarity in what is being managed (e.g., information and knowledge rather than data or transactions) Avoidance of excessive structure and misplaced precision While this book doesn't provide much in the way of practical advice you can immediately put to use, it does introduce high-level concepts, challenges, and solutions in a manner that is highly thought provoking. I strongly recommend this book to all information architects. Synopsis from Amazon.com Thomas Davenport proposes a revolutionary new way to look at information management, which takes into account the total information environment within an organization. Citing examples drawn from his own extensive research and consulting, including such major firms as AT&T, American Express, and IBM, Davenport illuminates the critical components of information ecology, providing a quick assessment survey for managers to see how their operations measure up. Reader reviews from Amazon.com 1. Useful and informative book with new insights, January 11, 1998 Reviewer: davides@us.ibm.com from Austin, TX I found this to be a useful and informative book with new insights, especially in the area of developing a holistic view of an information enterprise. Most previous books seem to be limited to just MIS departments and ignore the fact that managing information is not something that just happens in a vacuum. I also found the diagnosis section to be useful and grounded in real work versus the "blackboard" consulting suggestions that sometimes comes from academics whose ideas are not grounded in real world experiences. 2. Good theme but more buzzwords and bull than practical advice, September 5, 1997, Reviewer: malcolms@gte.net from Dallas, TexasI was disappointed by this book. While its central thesis (that MIS should include human and political considerations, not just technical ones) is valid and needs championing, I found the text repetitive, lacking in clear advice, and full of buzzwords used to restate the obvious. Mr. Davenport is clearly an expert on how to run MIS at large companies. Unfortunately, I found it difficult to glean applicable lessons from his book.