Technology has become ubiquitous in the world of information management. It would not be an exaggeration to suggest that almost every organization, irrespective of scale and domain, is using some form of technology solution for the purpose of information management. I have worked in the IT sector for many years and have been involved in various projects centering around the scope of information management. Being part of my company’s leadership team meant that I was also an “user” of information management systems (IMS) and I have observed that the effectiveness of such systems vary based on the usage scenario. In a smaller company with limited capacity to invest in a complex IMS, one could use something as simple as a set of files organized in folders and sub-folders. With small teams, this solution is not bad at all as the cost is quite low and organizing and accessing the information is relatively simple. In a larger company though, this structure doesn’t really work. The main reasons for this are:
- Organizing the files is quite complex as the same set of information may be required or used or managed by multiple departments. Version management, content review and approvals, quality control and other such factors are not possible (at least not without additional technical configurations and tools which may require very expensive infrastructure, software and manpower).
- There is a high risk of data loss. If some user deletes a folder or a set of files by mistake, recovering the deleted data may prove to be impossible unless there is a very strong backup process in place.
- When information is stored in individual files distributed in folders, accessing the information becomes very difficult unless one is aware of exactly where to look. “Search” capabilities in this kind of a setup are not effective, so even though the required information may be available, locating it quickly and easily may prove to be quite a challenge.
- Information security is also very difficult to implement. In a traditional and commonly seen setup, one would have a server with a shared directory and sub-directories and users on the network are granted access to these directories based on their roles or access requirements. This is not very easy and may be quite inefficient, if not ineffective and highly insecure.
In larger organizations, the investment in information management systems is higher because availability of information has a direct impact on the company’s bottom line. Data analytics has become such a huge “thing” because more and more companies acknowledge that how their teams acquire, manage, analyze and use critical information for key decisions goes a long way in determining the success or failure of such decisions. So, information management is a key investment focus for companies with large and distributed teams and one would expect such companies to have elaborate systems that archive and publish information that can be accessed and used by their teams relatively easily. Many of these systems may also use algorithms and programs for data analysis in order to be able to provide information “snapshots” or summary “dashboards” that would make it simpler for managers to make sense of the available data and relate it to the decision they are about to take. As technology continues to develop and evolve, Artificial Intelligence will play a bigger role in this process and in the next 5 years or so, we’ll see some form of AI in most information management and decision support systems. Information systems will definitely become more “intelligent”.
In this context, whenever one talks about the use of AI to make information management “smarter”, a commonly associated debate centers around the question – “Will AI driven information management and decision support systems replace managers?”. While no one can accurately predict what will happen 25 years from now, we can safely form some opinions based on current circumstances and the limited visibility we have of the immediate future. Technology will continue to develop at a mind-boggling pace. There is no doubt about that. And as that happens, more and more technology will seep into the information management space. Management and access of information will be made “smarter” and easier by technological innovations in artificial intelligence. So it would be safe to say that AI will, no doubt, transform the way we manage and access and use information today. In the near future, it is quite likely that tools would be available that would analyze huge sets of data and provide a very logical recommended course of action that should be taken. However, this is where I see AI hitting its so called “glass ceiling” – the inability of systems to “think” beyond the realm of “logic”. In terms of practicality and real world circumstances that would inevitably require a very precise “human” understanding and judgement, the “smart” recommendation and the supporting logic would serve as strong guidance – decision support system – but the final call will still need to be taken by the human manager. So, at least in the foreseeable future, these highly developed and continuously learning systems will prove to be invaluable tools that will aid decision makers to take decisions faster and with a greater degree of certainty about the outcome. However, we must remember that the “real world” has one pervasive variable factor and that is “emotion”. AI can beat humans in chess and perform complex analyses of huge data sets and drive cars and execute all kinds of astonishing tasks because they are predominantly based on mathematical calculations. But till technology reaches a stage where artificial intelligence blends in emotional intelligence into its decision support mechanism just like human beings would do, such smart systems can only play a supporting role, where the lead is taken by a human being. And till then, the role of managers should be quite safe. Having said that, this does not mean that managers of today won’t need to “re-skill” themselves because if they don’t have the skills to grasp the limitations of smart systems, then no matter how good the system is, the final decision may be wrong, maybe even dangerous.
To conclude, I can confidently “predict” that managers will be required by all organizations for many many years to come. However, it will also be true that technology will change the way managers take decisions. The volume and quality of information that will be available to them will continue to improve and decision support systems will keep “learning” in order to deliver better recommendations. Taking the wrong decision due to the lack of data or past precedent will no longer be an excuse. Failing to interpret system generated information will not be acceptable. So yes, the pressure on managers of the future will be intense because they will have fewer variable factors to deal with. And those who can handle that pressure and prove that they have mastered the challenge of “collaborating” with smart systems to take better decisions for their organizations will be the champions of next generation management.
Let me put it this way… as systems become smarter, managers also need to stay one step ahead. Humans have always bragged about being the most intelligent species on Earth. The expectation would be that with time, and human evolution, we will be able to make the most of what our brains are capable of, including the ability to not get overwhelmed by technology and use it to our advantage. Hence, losing the edge to a bunch of smart man-made technologies would not do the human brand equity much good, would it? 🙂
Aniruddha Mallik.