Information management and intelligence: NHS case studies.

As a contribution to the social theory of organisations, this thesis develops a comprehensive conceptual framework for the analysis of "organisational intelligence". It is developed in the context of some of the empirical problems of information management in the NHS. The framework is based on an information processing perspective. It has a number of components, each of which may be used, individually or collectively by information and social analysts. Organisational intelligence is, therefore, a relative concept, being concerned in essence with assessments of contextually appropriate behaviour and/or information. Organisational intelligence focuses on and reflects how actors / organisations do knowledgework. A number of generic knowledgework processes are proposed, together with some associated pathologies. But the question for information management is how to develop the supporting knowledgebase component. The development of information products of, or for, intelligence is another component of the framework. All these processes and products need to be assessed in their historical, political and information-related contexts. Finally, attention is paid to assessments in the light of experience of the issues in question. The case studies are based on material gathered firstly while working as a District Information Officer in a Health Authority, and then as co-ordinator for the project determining the information requirements of the NHS after the 1991. These studies are supplemented by analyses of secondary material. After a series of case studies using the organisational intelligence framework to illustrate different aspects of the information management in the NHS during the 198 0s, there are two detailed local studies, and then one concerning national developments in information policy in the early 1980s, followed by an analysis of the information requirements of the NHS post-Review. Finally, the case study material is drawn together to illustrate some characteristics of the organisation of intelligence