Introduction
Nowadays, it is important that employees are adequately informed. Better-informed employees are more satisfied with their jobs, and they perform better. Informed employees tend to make better decisions and enhance organizational knowledge development and distribution. Some employees are better informed than others. This variance is associated with a variety of factors including the extent to which they actively seek out information and the amount of information others have available to provide the employee (Lee 1998). Another potential influence on an employee’s information experiences is the quality of that employee’s relationships with his/her supervisor and peer co-workers.
Discussion
Higher quality of supervisor-subordinate relationships are characterized by higher levels of mutual trust, respect and obligation among the relationship partners. High quality relationship between the supervisor and the employee tends to be characterized by high levels of trust ands self-disclosure. As a consequence, supervisors and subordinates may communicate more openly. Thus employees in high quality relationships likely receive more information from their supervisors, than those in low quality relationships. Information varies with respect to quality, which is typically assessed with respect to accuracy, timeliness, and usefulness (Allen 1996). Allen (1992) identified a positive relationship between information quality and the extent to which employees were satisfied with their communication with their immediate supervisor. High quality relationships were characterized by communication that reflects both greater depth and breath.
Today, information quality is well accepted as a multidimensional concept. There have been and continue to be developing models of the necessary attributes for information quality. Information quality is divided into dimensions. These dimensions are:
1. Time
- Timeliness
- Currency
- Frequency
- Time Period
2. Content
- Accuracy
- Relevance
- Completeness
- Conciseness
- Scope
3. Form
- Clarity
- Detail
- Order
- Presentation
- Media
4. Additional Characteristics
- Confidence in source
- Reliability
- Appropriate
- Received by correct person
- Sent by correct channels
Fox et al (1996) identify the following as dimensions of information quality: accuracy, completeness, consistency and currency. Taylor (1986) identifies the following as dimensions of information quality: accuracy, comprehensiveness, currency, reliability, and validity. Olaisen (1990) on the other hand identifies the following as information quality dimensions: accessibility, actual value, completeness, credibility, flexibility, form, meaning over time, relevance, reliability, selectivity, validity.
Impact of Quality Information on My Role in the Organization
Information quality is really important in our organization. The organization employs numerous people, working in different departments. In order to make the operation and business processes smooth, exchange of information between departments and employees is facilitated. As a staff in the Human Resource department of the organization, I receive and handle valuable information regarding the organization, its business, and its people. I also provide the different members of the organization with information. In these exchanges of information, information quality is of the utmost importance.
1. Timeliness – having access to information in real time is very important in my job as an HR staff. I need to review employee and organizational data and information regularly so being able to access them without restrictions is important.
2. Frequency – related with timeliness, I also access information (from organizational files and from different people in the organization) frequently.
3. Accuracy – my role in the organization is related with developing HR policies and strategies that will impact the whole organization. Needless, to say I must possess information that are accurate and that are relevant with the tasks at hand.
4. Clarity – the information that I need should be clear so as to avoid confusion and mistakes.
5. Completeness – having complete information regarding the different HR issues in the organization is important as the information gathered serve as the basis for decision making.
Information quality according to Dansereau and Markham (1987) is important as it affects the quality of relationship between supervisor and employee and among peers. Leaders require quality information to do their jobs effectively, and they rely, in large part, upon their subordinate employees for such information. Employees, like supervisors, provide this information differentially to their supervisors; withholding information, distorting information, and engaging in variety of gate-keeping behaviors in passing information along to their supervisors.
Peer relationships, also referred to as “equivalent status” relationships are relationships between co-workers with no formal authority over one another. These relationships represent the bulk of workplace relationships, as employees typically have only one supervisor but several peer co-workers. Peer relationships perform a variety of important functions in the workplace. Peer co-workers are the most likely, and most important, source of emotional and instrumental support for employees, primarily because co-workers possess knowledge and understanding about the workplace experience that external sources do not. Moreover, peers act as a second “set of eyes and ears” for one another, sharing important organizational information and gossip that may otherwise be unobtainable. Peers are also important sources of information and the quality of information that a worker receives from his peers may affect his performance and motivation (Sias 2005).
Conclusion
Information quality is important in the communication process. Through quality information members of an organization build relationships with one another. It is important that information are sent and received between individuals in an organization in accordance to information quality dimensions. In this report I discussed the importance of information quality to me and how information quality helps me to perform my job better.
References
Allen, M W 1992, ‘Communication and Organizational Commitment: Perceived Organizational Support as Mediating Factor’, Communication Quarterly, vol. 40, pp. 357-367.
Allen, M W 1996, ‘The Relationship between Communication affect Job Alternatives and Voluntary Turnover Intentions’, Southern Communication Journal, vol. 61, pp. 198-209.
Dansereu, F and Markham, S 1987, Superior-Subordinate Communication: Multiple Level of Analysis, In F Jablin, L Putnam, K Roberts, and L Porter (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Communication: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (343-388), Sage, Beverly Hills, CA.
Fox, C, Levitin, A, and Redman, T C 1996, ‘Data and Data Quality’, Library and Information Science, vol. 57, pp. 100-122.
Lee, J 1998. ‘Maintenance Communication in Superior-Subordinate Relationships: An Exploratory Investigation of Group Social Context and The Pelz Effect’, Southern Communication Journal, vol. 63, pp. 144-159.
Olaisen, J 1990, ‘Information Quality and the Cognitive Authority of Electronic Information, In I Wormell (Ed.), Information Quality: Definitions and Dimensions (pp. 99-120). Taylor Graham, London.
Sias, P 2005, ‘Workplace Relationship Quality and Employee Information Experiences’, Communication Studies, vol. 56, no. 4, pp. 375-395.
Taylor, R S 1986, Value-Added Processes in Information System, Ablex Publishing, Norwood, NJ.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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