Overloading Information

CNET is carrying a story on information overload and what the military is doing to deal with it.

"In this age of information overload, events befuddle and bewilder leaders more than ever. From battles in foreign countries, to explosions in space, to CEOs' defense of their honor in court, events are relayed to our television screens and computers in real time. Transmission and production delays in the media once allowed time for editing and perspective. Today, news is unfiltered--and it's rat-a-tat rapid. There are few guidelines (let alone rules) to help senior executives understand how to manage the outflow of information--or assimilate the avalanche coming in."

"The best practices for managing information may lie not in business, but in the military. Long a supplier of metaphors and guidance for grappling with strategy dilemmas, the armed forces are also showing business leaders how to manage real-time information."

They should have also spoken to information professionals working in knowledge management centers.