Information Overload in the Knowledge Universe

Last week, Basex, conducted a 15 minute Webinar on the subject of Information Overload (I.O.), the video of which is still available for viewing.

Work interruptions and general overload has been a growing problem, which Basex has been following closely for quite some time (I first commented on Basex's Interruptions research back in September 2005) and while they have always garnered some press on the subject, they are starting to get more traction with the media outlets.

The vast sources of knowledge, available on the net, within the business, inside your team and now made more accessible, ensures that we're always buried in one or more of our gadgets designed to keep us in touch with our necessary resources. Then, combine that with the fact that 'knowledge' or at least content is being produced in greater volume than every before, and that managers and knowledgeworkers are not trained in how to handle the onslaught, and you have a big problem. How big?

The costs of information overload, which includes such things as email and cell phone interruptions, poor quality of search in the enterprise, and just pure volume of information are staggering at an estimated 2.1 hours per day  per knowledgeworker and dollarized to be $650 billion in 2007 in the U.S.. The unmeasured cost? Stifled innovation and restrained productivity. 

So for 15 minutes (1 minute to register and 14 minutes for the video of the Webinar), it's time well invested to better understand the problem identified, become aware of some known solutions, and to get connected to Basex who will be studying the I.O. trend and potential solutions more closely over the next year(s).

Comments

[Keith Harrison-Broninski]

Solving the $650bn problem requires a new, high-level workplace tool - a Human Interaction Management System (HIMS), that understands human collaboration and leverages email et al to support it.

A HIMS lets you negotiate next steps with colleagues in your own and other organizations, using a clear visual representation of everyone's responsibilities and commitments, then helps you execute your own part in these "Stories".

The reference implementation of a HIMS is the free desktop program HumanEdj. If you want a glimpse of the future, check out the walkthrough at http://www.humanedj.com/faq#Tutorials.