Knowledge Management is often described as getting the right information to the right people at the right time. This matters. If someone needs a policy, procedure, document, or factual answer, clear and accessible information can make a real difference. But this view can be taken too far.
In many situations, people already have the information they need, yet little changes. The issue may be context, constraints, incentives, trust, risk, or the need to make sense of things together.
The Information Deficit Model names the assumption that better information will lead to better decisions or changed behaviour. Sometimes it does. Often it does not.
In KM, this matters because we can mistake information delivery for knowledge work. Repositories, intranets, FAQs, and AI tools all have their place, but they do not remove the need for conversation, judgement, interpretation, and action.
The question is not only whether information has been shared, but whether it has made a difference.
Continue reading: Knowledge Management and the Information Deficit Model
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Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public Domain)
