VOL. 21 NO. 3, SEPTEMBER, 2016
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The information culture of higher education institutions: the
Estonian case
Liia Lauri, Mati Heidmets and Sirje Virkus
Abstract
Introduction. This paper focuses on the information culture of
higher education institutions in Estonia. The aim of the study is to
explore the relationship between information culture, information
management and job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-
reported individual performance.
Method. A total of 160 faculty members from twelve institutions
of higher education completed an online survey. The aim of the
online survey was to identify the behaviour and values that
characterise the information culture of Estonian higher education
institutions.
Analysis. Factor analysis and multivariate analysis were
performed to analyse online survey data.
Results. Taking into account six components of information
culture identified by earlier researchers, analysis revealed three
types of information culture characterised by their dominant
components: integrated, proactive, and informal. A significant
correlation was found between information culture with integrated
information culture and job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-
reported individual performance.
Conclusion. Our study suggests that the construct of information
culture is valuable in analysing information environments and
their relations with job satisfaction, leadership style, and self-
reported individual performance. In addition, integrated
information culture seems to be (at least in the sample of academic
staff) the most sensitive one, having significant correlations with
several indicators of subjective well-being within the academic
staff.
Introduction
change font
Information culture constitutes a context for how information
is communicated in an organization and how the attitudes,
norms, and values are developed concerning creating, sharing,
and using information (Marchand, Kettinger and Rollins,
2001; Curry and Moore, 2003; Widén and Hansen, 2012;
Oliver, 2008
, 2011; Choo, 2013). Whereas organizational
culture has an effect on aspects of organizational behaviour,
the information culture, being part of it, forms the socially-
shared context for information use in organizations.
Information culture has often been understood through the
conditions facilitating information management or exploiting
information technology. However, information culture cannot
be limited to information management and technology.
Davenport explains in his study that information technology or
its management alone cannot bring change in the information
culture of an organization: ‘changing the technology only
reinforces the behaviours that already exist' (Davenport,
1994, p. 120).
Furthermore, information culture can foster knowledge
creation and organizational learning (Davenport and Prusak
,
1997), but can also perform as a barrier to information sharing
and use in organizations. Oliver (2008
, p. 364) notes: ‘limiting
"information culture" to one that facilitates information
management provides a rather limited perspective…
information cultures exist in organizations, whether or not
they facilitate effective information management' .
Findings from previous research suggest that the part of
organizational culture that deals specifically with information:
perceptions, values, behaviour, and norms that people have
about creating, sharing, and managing information, has
significant relations to information use in organizations
(Marchand
et al., 2001; Bergeron et al., 2007; Choo, Bergeron,
Detlor and Heaton 2008; Abrahamson and Goodman-
Delahunty, 2013). It has been recognised that certain types of
information culture can support more effective information
management (Curry and Mo0re, 2003
; Oliver, 2008; Wright,
2013). Curry and Moore state:
The technological infrastructure to enable the
free flow of information can be in place, but
without the co-operation of managers and staff
who are required to undertake the actual
information sharing, such initiatives will fail.
(Curry and Moore, 2003
, p. 105)
Research shows that organizations can be differentiated by
their information culture (Davenport, 1997; Bergeron et al.,
2007; Choo et al., 2008; Oliver, 2008, 2011; Abrahamson and
Goodman-Delahunty, 2013; Choo, 2013). Some conceptual
models explaining different sets of information cultures have
been developed in relation to information governance
(Davenport, 1997
); information management (Curry and
Moore, 2003; Oliver, 2008, 2011); and information use
outcomes and organizational effectiveness (Choo, 2013
). It can
be assumed that certain characteristics or combinations of
characteristics of information culture have a stronger influence
on organizational performance. However, the relations
between information culture and the effectiveness of
organizations have seldom been studied (Choo, 2013
).
The aim of this research is to explore different types of
information culture in higher education institutions in
Estonia. The dimensions of organizational performance in
terms of job satisfaction, opinions about leadership, and self-
reported individual performance are analysed in relation to
information culture. Tien and Chao (2012
) found that job
satisfaction and satisfaction with leadership along with the
organization's information culture are strong bases for
organizational innovation. Therefore, this study contributes to
widening our understanding of information culture and the
effectiveness of organizations. More particularly, the relations
between information culture and effectiveness on the level of
the individual that is characterised by self-reported individual
performance and opinions about effectiveness of leadership
and colleagues.
The following research questions were formulated for this
study:
1. What are the types of information culture represented in
the Estonian higher education institutions?
2. How can the different types of information culture be
characterised by the use of information resources and
frequency of information use?
3. How can the different types of information culture be
characterised by information management practices?
4. Are there any differences in types of information culture
between universities and professional higher education
institutions?
5. Is information culture related to the academic staff's
satisfaction with job and leadership and self-reported
individual performance?
The paper consists of five sections. Following the introduction,
the literature review and the conceptual framework are
presented. The next
section discusses the empirical study: the
research methods, the sample and procedure. Data analyses
and results are in the fourth section. The paper closes with a
discussion and conclusion.
Information culture and related concepts: information
use, information management and organizational
performance
Information culture constitutes socially-shared assumptions,
patterns of behaviour, and norms and values that people have
about creating, sharing, and managing information in an
organization (Choo
et al., 2006, 2008; Choo, 2013; Bergeron
et al., 2007; Abrahamson and Goodman-Delahunty, 2013).
A dashboard for measuring companies' information
orientation was developed by Marchand et al. (2001
). Choo et
al. (2006
, 2008) adapted six information behaviour types and
values identified by Marchand et al. (2001
) to profile the
information culture of an organization, namely, information
integrity, (in)formality, information control, information
transparency, sharing, and proactivity. Marchand et al. (2001
,
pp. 101-104) and Choo (2013
, pp. 775-776) have developed
definitions for these behaviour types and values. Information
integrity is defined as the use of information in a trustful and
principled manner on the organizational and individual level.
Information formality is the willingness to use and trust
formal information over informal sources. Information control
is the extent to which information is used to manage and
monitor performance. Information transparency is the
openness in reporting on errors and failures. Information
sharing is the willingness to provide others with information.
Proactivity is actively using new information to innovate and
respond quickly to changes.
Curry and Moore (2003
) identify the following components
that enable information culture to flourish: effective
communication flows; cross-organizational partnerships; co-
operative working practices and access to relevant
information; information system management that is closely
linked to business strategy; effective information; and data
management that is clearly guided and documented. Widén-
Wulff and Ginman (2000
, 2004) outline the importance of an
active and open information culture that should support
information as a resource in an organization. Information as a
resource in organizations can be a basis for organizational
learning and knowledge creation (Davenport, 1998
). However,
as information constitutes power, it cannot be expected that
people will share information easily (Davenport, 1994
).
Davenport (1997
, p. 86) points out that appropriate use of
information in organizations is closely related to
organizational learning enabling effective decision making,
learning from customers and competitors, and monitoring the
results of the actions. Availability of information is the
precondition for this to take place. There have been studies
conducted exploring the relationships of information use and
learning process (for example, Kari and Savolainen, 2010
) that
goes beyond of the scope of this study.
In the empirical studies of Bergeron et al. (2007
), Choo et al.
(2008
), and Abrahamson and Goodman-Delahunty (2013),
organizational effectiveness is defined in terms of information
use outcomes. The outcome of information use is understood
in five different ways based on Kirk's (2002
) doctoral study:
information packaging; information flow; developing new
knowledge and insights; shaping judgements and decisions;
and influencing others. Information use outcome has been
understood in terms of task performance, self-efficacy and
social maintenance (Bergeron
et al., 2007; Choo et al., 2006).
Choo et al. (2008
) found out that behaviour types and values
of information culture were able to account for significant
proportions of the variance in information use outcomes that
were related to organizational effectiveness.
Information management can be broadly defined as policies,
strategies and systems that can be incorporated into practices
that apply to the information lifecycle in an organization,
acquisition, creation, storage, sharing, retrieval, and use
(Choo, 2002
; Oliver, 2008, pp. 365-366), as well as training
and mentoring in an organization (Choo
et al., 2006, 2008;
Bergeron,
et al., 2007). In addition to the information and
information systems management the activities related to
intellectual capital of an organization are understood as part of
the information culture. Namely, structural capital that
requires policies and processes designed for efficient creation,
storage, access, and use of information. Second, human capital
including improvement of information skills and providing
information that enables knowledgeable employees to find
each other and to share their expertise (Choo
et al., 2008).
Curry and Moore (2003
) interpret aspects of information and
information systems management together with
communication flows and cross-organizational partnerships in
organization as essential components of information culture.
A close link has been suggested between information culture
and information management in an organization (Marchand
et
al., 2001; Bergeron et al., 2007; Oliver, 2008). Bergeron et al.
(2007
) have shown that the impact of information culture on
information use outcome is greater than the impact of
information management. The study by Abrahamson and