[EAS]Data Dyspepsia

[pjk]

Subject:   Data Dyspepsia

(from NewsScan Daily, 15 May 2002)

DATA DYSPEPSIA
The quantity of information flowing into your office on a daily
basis has  reached an officially indigestible level, says Gartner,
which reports that  90% of companies are suffering from data
overload to the point where it's  affecting their productivity.
Gartner estimates that businesses will spend  as much as $30 billion
this year alone on information management systems in  the hope of
digging out, but it still may not be enough to improve the  signal
to noise ratio in most offices. Surprisingly, Gartner found that the
 most useful information employees receive comes from personal
contacts,  contact with friends and colleagues and e-mails, rather
than the corporate  Intranet. The company has therefore recommended
that businesses encourage  more social interaction -- in cafeterias,
lounges and around the water  cooler -- while at the same time
implementing workflow tools that can help  stem the tide of useless
information. (The Register 15 May 2002)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/23/25283.html

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> Surprisingly, Gartner found that the most useful information
> employees receive comes from personal contacts, contact with friends
> and colleagues and e-mails, rather than the corporate Intranet.

What's surprising is that they should find this surprising. Ah, the
endless frontiers of innovation possible by forgetting the obvious.

  --PJK