Abstract

This paper develops a typology of information cultures by synthesizing empirical and theoretical research in organization science and information science. Four information culture types are proposed. In a Result-oriented culture, the goal of information management is to enable the organization to compete and succeed in its market or sector. In a Rule-following culture, information is managed to control internal operations, and to reinforce rules and policies. In a Relationship-based culture, information is managed to encourage communication, participation, and a sense of identity. In a Risk-taking culture, information is managed to encourage innovation, creativity, and the exploration of new ideas. We expect most organizations to display to varying degrees norms and behaviors from all four types, and that the information culture profile of an organization would be related to its effectiveness. The paper ends by looking at the practical and theoretical value of a systematic examination of information culture and its link to organizational effectiveness.

Introduction

While organizational culture has been found to affect many aspects of organizational behavior, this paper explores the idea that a part of organizational culture that is concerned with information—the assumptions, values, and norms that people have about creating, sharing, using information—would have its own effect on organizational behavior and effectiveness. This concept of “information culture” is largely missing from current research. As a first step, we need to develop a systematic conceptualization of information culture that is based on a firm theoretical and empirical foundation. This paper reports research toward that goal. We build on a widely applied and validated framework that has been usedtodifferentiate organizational culture types andtheir relationships to organizational effectiveness. We introduce elements from information behavior research to develop a typology of information cultures. We then suggest a number of research propositions that would explore the relationship between information culture and organizational effectiveness.