Information technology: Trojan Horse of information overload: September 30, 2002 issue of New Thinking

September 30, 2002 New Thinking:
Information technology: Trojan Horse of information overload

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September 30, 2002

Information technology: Trojan Horse of information overload

By Gerry McGovern

Information technology has become the Trojan Horse of information overload. It has been invited into the organization as some magical gift that will bring greater efficiency and reduced cost. Once inside, it feeds on resources and spews out unimaginable quantities of low quality data. Information technology has become the problem. The solution is to invest in people again.

Recently, I was talking to manager from a large organization. We were discussing the need to create quality content for the intranet. She was adamant that her organization had no interest in investing in writing for the Web skills. They might buy content management software, but that was as far as they were prepared to go.

I have yet to find someone who is fully satisfied with their content management software. More often than not I hear stories of major cost overruns, and processes that are cumbersome and time-consuming. The more expensive the software the worse the problems tend to be.

I talked to a consultant whose client had installed a USD1 million search system. It was very complex, very sophisticated. Staff complained that the search results were no better that those they had got from the previous software; which was much, much cheaper and simpler.

Consider the following:

Morgan Stanley estimates that U.S. companies wasted $130 billion during the period 2000-2002 on unneeded software and technology.
Gartner estimates that on a worldwide basis, companies waste 20 percent of the USD2.7 trillion annual technology spend.
A study by PC World found that 22 percent of computers break down every year. In comparison, 9 percent of VCRs and 8 percent of refrigerators break down.

For too long, the technology industry has got away with selling inferior products. Maybe that's a reason why it is doing so poorly these days. Maybe people are finally getting tired of the endless promises and poor delivery.

Historically, there has been a big disconnect between investment in technology and productivity growth. The technology industry hailed the 1990s as the period when technology finally began to drive up productivity. I've seen studies that indicate that better work practices had as much or more to do with this surge in productivity, than any investment in technology.

Email can often be an example of the Trojan Horse effect of technology. Used properly, email can be a wonderful tool. But people can abuse email, turning it into an information overload monster. By 2005, it is estimated that worldwide a half million emails will be sent every second.

Ryanair is a hugely successful low-cost airline. CEO Michael O'Leary describes email as, "the world's greatest collector of garbage." Ryanair is very productive and very profitable. Isn't that what companies are supposed to be?

Too often, when technology sees a drowning man, it throws him the Titanic. When will organizations recognize that it is people who make them successful, not pieces of silicon?

Before you invest in fancy content management software, make sure your people have the skills to create, edit and publish quality content. Before you invest in fancy search technology, make sure your people are trained in how to search efficiently. Before you succumb to information overload, train your people to send less emails, and to be more succinct in what they send.

This world of ours is drowning in rocket science. Throw it some common sense.

Gerry McGovern

Next issue: Information overload: it's time to take your time
Previous issue: Information architecture: using card sorting for web classification design

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This world of ours is drowning in rocket science. Throw it some common sense.

Gerry McGovern's books are recommended reading at the following universities

Augustana College, United States
Brandeis University, United States
Drury University, United States
Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland
Indiana University, United States
Monash University, Australia
Northeastern University, United States
University of Applied Sciences, Germany
University of Regina, Canada
University of Teesside, UK
Manchester Metropolitan University

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