Cultural issues, organisational hierarchy and information fulfilment: an exploration of relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the cultural results of a three year study into the concept of information fulfilment and considers the impact of culture on levels of information fulfilment. Design/methodology/approach – Ethnographic studies were undertaken within higher education institutions in four countries, by examining each organization's shape and comparing it with the level of achievement of information fulfilment. The social and symbolic meanings that underpinned the culture of information in the chosen institutions are presented. The cultural frameworks are analysed and followed by a section of “raw data” from the ethnographic field. Findings – Culture impacted significantly in all the studies, and each study had its own unique character which provided rich insights into the culture, atmosphere and contexts of the fields. Originality/value – The relationships between the cultures and the levels of information fulfilment are reported with a view to helping build knowledge management systems that deliver higher levels of information fulfilment