Miradas contemporáneas en torno a la naturaleza de la información

Describe las cinco principales perspectivas sobre la naturaleza de la información, a partir del análisis de 82 artículos científicos (78 en inglés y cuatro en español), publicados durante los años 1990-2020. Desde una perspectiva física, define a la información como el patrón de organización de un sistema. Desde una perspectiva objetiva, afirma que la información es el significado colectivo adquirido por un estado de la materia. Desde una perspectiva social, sostiene que la información es un recurso necesitado, con una definición específica de acuerdo al ámbito en el que se use. Desde una perspectiva subjetiva, afirma que la información es la causa de reacciones funcionales por parte de un receptor. Desde una perspectiva integradora, define a la información como la transformación de un sistema receptor producto de su complementación con un sistema fuente. Finalmente, brinda conclusiones sobre cada perspectiva y recomendaciones para futuras investigaciones

Organizations as congitive systems :what do they process and deliver?

The substitution of knowledge to information as the entity that organizations process and deliver raises a number of questions concerning the nature of knowledge. The dispute on the codifiability of tacit knowledge and that juxtaposing the epistemology of practice vs. the epistemology of possession can be better faced by revisiting two crucial debates. One concerns the nature of cognition and the other the famous mind-body problem. Cognition can be associated with the capability of manipulating symbols, like in the traditional computational view of organizations, interpreting facts or symbols, like in the narrative approach to organization theory, or developing mental states (events), like argued by the growing field of organizational cognition. Applied to the study of organizations, the mind-body problem concerns the possibility (if any) and the forms in which organizational mental events, like trust, identity, cultures, etc., can be derived from the structural aspects (technological, cognitive or communication networks) of organizations. By siding in extreme opposite positions, the two epistemologies appear irreducible one another and pay its own inner consistency with remarkable difficulties in describing and explaining some empirical phenomena. Conversely, by legitimating the existence of both tacit and explicit knowledge, by emphasizing the space of human interactions, and by assuming that mental events can be explained with the structural aspects of organizations, Nonaka’s SECI model seems an interesting middle way between the two rival epistemologies

Organizations as cognitive systems: what do they process and deliver?

The substitution of knowledge to information as the entity that organizations process and deliver raises a number of questions concerning the nature of knowledge. The dispute on the codifiability of tacit knowledge and that juxtaposing the epistemology of practice vs. the epistemology of possession can be better faced by revisiting two crucial debates. One concerns the nature of cognition and the other the famous mind-body problem. Cognition can be associated with the capability of manipulating symbols, like in the traditional computational view of organizations, interpreting facts or symbols, like in the narrative approach to organization theory, or developing mental states (events), like argued by the growing field of organizational cognition. Applied to the study of organizations, the mind-body problem concerns the possibility (if any) and the forms in which organizational mental events, like trust, identity, cultures, etc., can be derived from the structural aspects (technological, cognitive or communication networks) of organizations. By siding in extreme opposite positions, the two epistemologies appear irreducible one another and pay its own inner consistency with remarkable difficulties in describing and explaining some empirical phenomena. Conversely, by legitimating the existence of both tacit and explicit knowledge, by emphasizing the space of human interactions, and by assuming that mental events can be explained with the structural aspects of organizations, Nonaka’s SECI model seems an interesting middle way between the two rival epistemologies

Gestão da informação em organizações virtuais: uma nova questão para a coordenação interorganizacional no setor público

O artigo destaca a importância da reflexão sobre as implicações e possibilidades que os conceitos relativos a organizações virtuais podem trazer para a coordenação interorganizacional no âmbito do planejamento governamental, de forma a contribuir para incrementar a efetividade da ação de governo, por meio de um ambiente informacional cooperativo. Aspectos como gestão cooperativa da informação, cultura organizacional, poder e controle, fronteiras e estruturas organizacionais e confiança deverão ser observados no contexto do planejamento governamental, caso se pretenda evoluir na aplicação do conceito de organizações virtuais ao setor público. Palavras-chave Planejamento governamental; Coordenação interorganizacional; Gestão da informação. Information management in virtual organizations: a new issue to public sector inter-organizational coordination Abstract The article highlights the importance of a reflection about the impacts and possibilities that the concepts related to virtual organisations may bring to the interorganisational coordination in the governmental planning. Such interorganisational coordination may contribute to improve the effectiveness of the governmental action, by means of a cooperative informational environment. Aspects like, cooperative information management, organisational culture, power and control, boundaries and organizational structures, as well as trust must be object of attention, in case one wants to evolve towards applying the concept of virtual organizations to the public sector. Keywords Governmental planning; Interoganisational coordination; Information management

Trust antecedents in social networking services

Objective of this thesis is to identify the antecedents of trust in social networking services (SNS) and to determine their importance. Understanding the antecedents of trust is important since trust has previously been found to influence intention to use in related technologies. There has not been a comprehensive study to explain trust formation in social networking services. Social networking services continuously evolve and the norms of usage are changing, which can affect the formation of trust. Trust is important in human interactions and it is needed in effective communication, learning and problem solving. Initial trust is based on perceptions and experience-based trust is based on past behavior of the trustee. Interpersonal trust and social trust are present in social networks. Social networking services can facilitate the formation of social capital, which increases trust. Based on previous studies, the antecedents were hypothesized to be propensity to trust, perceived trustworthiness, perceived critical mass, trust towards platform, structural assurances, access to right information, information overload, perceived risk, social networks, civic engagement, and life satisfaction. Quantitative empirical research was carried out in order to confirm the hypotheses. Data were collected with an online survey and analyzed with Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. The developed PLS model predicted 68,9 % of trust in SNS and it was found valid and reliable. The research sample contained 104 respondents, who were active SNS users. Research findings support that perceived critical mass, social networks, civic engagement, and life satisfaction have positive effect on trust in social networking services. Additionally, propensity to trust and access to right information could have positive effect on trust in social networking services. Perceived trustworthiness could have negative effect when it reflects the evaluation of perceived trustworthiness. The most important finding was that social capital almost solely predicts trust in social networking services. The results apply to a post-adoptive situation where experience-based trust is present. There is further the need to study trust antecedents in pre-adoptive situations and the influence of trust on usage

La producción de saberes expertos por colectivos de pacientes crónicos en–línia. Un modelo de análisis para su estudio

En este trabajo se desarrolla un modelo de análisis para el estudio de los métodos que dos colectivos en línea de diabéticos llevan a cabo para producir información sobre la condición que comparten. El tipo de análisis que se propone aporta una perspectiva renovada a la escasa literatura sobre el tema ya que esta: 1) es parca cuando se refiere a la actividad productora de información de los pacientes respecto de su condición, al estudiársele más como consumidor; 2) prioriza el estudio del individuo sobre el colectivo, y 3) cuando estudia colectivos de pacientes, tiende a centrarse en el apoyo emocional como su elemento característico. El modelo de análisis desarrollado parte de una perspectiva etnometodológica porque esta nos permite centrarnos en las prácticas cotidianas endógenas de nuestros grupos sociales para develar su saber hacer. El modelo indaga en torno al tipo de saberes que los colectivos ponen en juego, a la voz de autoridad que les otorgan y a las pautas que habilitan la producción de información a través de la interacción en foros de discusión. Las pautas que posibilitan la producción se levantaron y categorizaron desde los mismos datos, mientras que para los saberes se desarrollaron categorías desprendidas de las propuestas elaboradas por Mol y Law (2004) y Eynsenbach (2008a y 2008b).En aquest treball es desenvolupa un model d'anàlisi per a l'estudi dels mètodes que duen a terme dos col·lectius en línia de diabètics per produir informació sobre la condició que comparteixen. El tipus d'anàlisi que es proposa aporta una perspectiva renovada a l'escassa literatura sobre el tema ja que aquesta: 1) és parca quan es refereix a l'activitat productora d'informació dels pacients respecte de la seva condició, en estudiar-lo més com a consumidor; 2) prioritza l'estudi de l'individu sobre el col·lectiu, i 3) quan estudia col·lectius de pacients, tendeix a centrar-se en el suport emocional com a element característic. El model d'anàlisi desenvolupat parteix d'una perspectiva etnometodològica perquè ens permet centrar-nos en les pràctiques quotidianes endògenes dels nostres grups socials per desvetllar el seu saber fer. El model indaga al voltant del tipus de sabers que els col·lectius posen en joc, la veu d'autoritat que els atorguen i les pautes que habiliten la producció d'informació mitjançant la interacció en fòrums de discussió. Les pautes que possibiliten la producció es van aixecar i categoritzar des de les mateixes dades, mentre que per als sabers es van desenvolupar categories despreses de les propostes elaborades per Mol i Law (2004) i Eynsenbach (2008a i 2008b).This work presents the development of a model for the analysis of the methods that two online diabetic patient communities use to produce information on the condition they share. The type of analysis that is proposed offers an innovative alternative to the scarce academic work found on the subject, which: (1) rarely looks at the information producing activities of patients regarding their condition, studying them more as consumers; (2) has a tendency to focus on individuals rather than on collectives; and (3) tends to characterize collectives, when they are studied, only as emotional support groups. The model developed here departs from an ethnomethodological perspective as it looks at the endogenous day-to-day practices of the social groups as a way to shed light on their know-how. The model inquiries about the types of knowledge that the collectives deploy, the voice of authority they give to the pieces of information shared, and the practices that enable their production through interaction. The producing practices were drawn and categorized from the empirical data, while the proposals of Mol & Law (2004) and Eysenbach (2008a, 2008b) were used as a starting point for categorizing their knowledge.Societat de la informació i el coneixemen