Speaker: Dr Melissa Cole

Dr Melissa Cole is a Senior Lecturer in Business Systems, within the Sheffield Business School (SBS), here at Sheffield Hallam University.

Title: Rethinking Information Use: Lessons from Spirituality

There is a normative assumption underpinning business intelligence and strategic IS that “technology will make our lives easier”.  This assumption is so deeply embedded in the Western psyche, our daily habits and supporting social structures that we no longer think to question its legitimacy.  IT is good, and more information makes better decisions.  Fact!  But as our personal lives and professional contexts become saturated with technology, problems are emerging.  Information overload is eroding the productivity gains expected from personal computers whilst the benefits of personal communication technologies have become burdensome tethers of perpetual connectivity.  Current solutions to these problems have sought to create more refined technologies: intelligent agents, advanced automation, integrated systems, intuitive interface designs, etc.  This is akin to adding ever-more oil onto a raging fire in the hope that it will smother the flames.   Drawing on concepts taken from spirituality, this talk will explore a counter-cultural perspective of contemporary information use and review its implications for the growing area of business intelligence.