Validating Information Sensing in a South African University as an Impetus to Improved Information Management Practice and Performances

This paper argues that the quality of business process management in organisations depends, first, on their information orientation and their Information Management Practices (IMP). Although information technology plays an important role, it is not in itself enough to guarantee the quality of information management practices without the alignment of internal and external information sensing. The objective of the paper was to validate information sensing as a significant element in improving the IMP and performance of organisations. Information sensing is the first phase determinant, on which the capturing and processing, organising and maintaining of information hinge. Purposive sampling was used to gather empirical data through in-depth interviews with eight members of staff, and one hundred students were surveyed through questionnaires. The findings showed that emphasis was placed by the respondents on the information-processing tools themselves, without a comprehensive understanding of the significance of information sensing. To ensure improved and efficient information management which promotes quality, rather than quantity, and the elimination of duplication, the paper proposes the recognition of internal and external information sensing. The paper identified four dimensions of information sensing, namely, internal and external and vertical and horizontal information sensing. Information sensing is necessary for improving the governance of information lifecycle about business processes, service delivery and agility. It is envisaged that its adoption has the potential to reduce the duplication of information by various business units, to reduce costs, to increase returns on investments and to improve the experiences of customers.