Utilising external evidence and organisational knowledge: a self-assessment

To implement successful change, introduce technological innovation, improve quality of care and transform services and our workforce, the NHS needs to get better at managing information, evidence and knowledge. These are valuable assets, yet rarely considered at Board level. Using data and research evidence, sharing know-how and implementing best practice are all business critical.

Building on best practice in the private sector Health Education England (HEE) has developed this simple framework to help you quickly assess opportunities to make better use of information, evidence and knowledge as an asset. This framework invites you to:

• assess what is working well and what more could be done
• consider which initiatives will make a positive impact on your bottom line
• prioritise these and draw up an action plan to help you meet your objectives

Why spend time on this?

Do you have a clear idea about the information issues and risks that your organisation is facing?

Do you understand the opportunities to leverage information to drive innovation?

Review the Board checklist to better understand “why” this must be managed at the highest level in the organisation.

To help you take this forward, HEE’s library and knowledge services strategic leads have developed a simple framework to help you quickly assess opportunities and “how” to make better use of information, evidence and knowledge as assets.

Using the Self-Assessment Framework

This tool can be used in a number of settings for instance at an executive team meeting or a Board seminar. A more comprehensive review can be achieved by each Directorate or Division completing individual assessments, which can then be compared to help your organisation adopt best practice through targeted support.

The first step is for you and the organisation to agree in what capacity you are going to complete the online framework. We recommend a consistent approach individually and as a group is to clarify the role (or roles) in which you are engaging in this discussion. You may have different responses in relation to your responsibilities as a board member or as a director or team member.

For each criterion, read across the page from left to right and identify the statement that best describes the current situation within your team or organisation. Within your selection, circle to indicate if you are at a low, medium or high level of maturity.

Section 4 lists some of the initiatives you could take forward to enable your organisation to strengthen use of external evidence and organisational knowledge in the areas you prioritise through your self-assessment.

Your Library and Knowledge Services Lead will be able to work with you to help you prioritise these, draw up an action plan to implement the agreed priorities (including commissioning external services, as needed)

We recommend that you allow 90 minutes to complete this self-assessment.

The Board Checklist, Information as an Asset

Are you and your Board confident that your organisation could never experience the below.

• Risk massive fines and corporate embarrassment from information misuse.
• Frustrate and handicap your employees through a poor information environment – low information reliability and quality; lack of information standards; barriers to information access.
• Fail to take opportunities for increasing efficiency through improved management of information.
• Fall behind competitors who manage and exploit information more successfully than you.
• Miss opportunities, created through information, to develop your business in new directions.

Are you and your Board confident of the below?

• You are always specifically and adequately advised about the information issues and risks associated with all investment decision and business plans.
• Your access to objective, accurate and current information enables effective decisions.
• You always seize opportunities for innovation that leverage developments in information matters You regularly reap the benefits from exploiting information assets that adds value to customers, markets, collaborators and partners.
• You know where all your organisation’s data and information is held.

Are you and your Board entirely satisfied of the below?

• An information strategy supporting organisational strategy is in place.
• The policies, processes and practices to implement that strategy have been established and are followed within the organisation.
• The organisation, culture and people processes are matched to the information strategy.
• The above elements are audited and reviewed at Board level regularly.

In short is the Board regularly assessing your performance as an information driven organisation and acting on the findings?

Acknowledgement

The Information as an Asset report is a joint project by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), CIO Connect and the IK SpringBoard to promote senior-level engagement with the value of information assets. Read the full report on the CILIP website.