Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the project about?
Now, what is this study about really?
Is there any downside?
What's in it for me?
What is in it for you?
Who is paying for all this?
What is this project about?
We are trying to ascertain how information flows and knowledge management
help organizations be more productive. We expect organizational culture, access
to data, bonuses and incentives, technology, as well as expertise etc. will
all have an influence. In fact, we’ve surveyed more than 120+ articles
to try to identify factors that matter. Until this study, there has been no
serious examination of what information management practices influence output
at statistically significant levels.
Now, what is this study about really?
That is it, really. We are studying how information management practices affect
organizational output. Specifically, this includes the information flows –
including the shape of communications, the amount of traffic, and the frequency.
It includes the shape and variety of contacts inside and outside an organization.
It includes the value of face-to-face communication relative to electronic
communication. It includes the organizational environment and whether there
is reciprocity in information sharing. It also includes suggestions from you
to the extent you want to make them.
Is there any downside?
There should be no downside. So why can we say this? First, we aren’t
sharing any data about individual identifiers back to anyone’s boss or,
in fact, to anyone else at all. Our privacy agreement specifically prevents
us from doing this. Second, any data we actually receive will be encrypted.
No one will know what one person is saying to another. Third, to get approval
to proceed, we had to run the study by the University of Michigan Human Subjects
Review Board (www.irb.research.umich.edu). An independent committee has reviewed
the project specifically with the objective of assessing adverse consequences
and found them to be minimal.
What's in it for me?
These could be considerable. For you personally, there are at least four possible
benefits. First, we are offering an incentive
compensation of $125. This is $25 for the first and $100 for the second stages
of the study. Second, you will be eligible for $1000 with a darn good chance
of winning it. This sum is available to participants in your firm independent
of other firms. Third, if you wish, you can get custom feedback on how your
information flows compare to everyone else. If you say yes, you will get a
specific code that gives you access to your profile. This will be dynamically
generated for you and not otherwise stored or made available to others. Fourth,
for your organization, the potential benefit is that we learn something that
helps the whole company become more successful.
What is in it for you?
Well, if this works, we could get tenure at Harvard or Michigan. Can I read
your proposal to see what you’re doing? Sure. It is an NSF Career Award,
formerly called a Presidential Young Investigator’s Award. This is only
for you, a prospective participant, and we ask that you not widely distribute
it. Downloads Available
Who is paying for all this?
We are. If you want to know who’s funding us, the major sponsors are
the National Science Foundation ($300,000) and Intel Corporation ($200,000).
Of these funds, we have earmarked a full $20,000 for incentive payments to
you and others.
