Do you know the key information manager role there is today? Do you know what are some of the things this person needs to fulfill to be effective in his job? To know more, read on.
Information Manager Role
An information manager is a manager that is responsible for creating and managing an information system that is used to support decision-making and administrative processes.
The primary responsibility of an information manager is to ensure that their organization’s information is handled efficiently and effectively. To do so, the information manager must:
- Analyze the current state of the organization’s information.
- Evaluate technologies and strategies for improving the quality of the information provided.
- Provide training for employees on how to use information in their work processes.
- Oversee the creation and implementation of organizational information systems.
- Information managers may also:
- Assess and collect data in support of the organization’s strategic plan.
- Assist in the development of long-range information systems.
- Assist in the development of short-range information systems.
- Budget for information technology.
- Conduct research on information technology and techniques.
- Develop and manage an organization’s information system policies and procedures.
- Make and manage an organization’s records retention policies and procedures.
- Evaluate and select information retrieval tools.
- Plan for future information system needs to keep the system current with changing business needs.
- Review an organization’s existing information systems for efficiency and effectiveness, and recommend changes based on their evaluations.
- Schedule the use of shared equipment such as computers, printers, copiers, fax machines, and more.
- Create policies regarding equipment used to ensure that employees do not abuse equipment privileges or resources by misusing or destroying equipment or by stealing resources from the company for their personal use.
Information Manager Skills
What are the skills needed to be one? Well, first you need to be highly knowledgeable about information technology. You need to know the different tools that are available for an organization to use to gather, process, and disseminate data.
Then, you also need to know how to choose which ones are more effective for your organization. Also, you need to be knowledgeable about information security practices is also important because you will be the one providing the guidelines on how to keep your organization’s information protected.
You will also be the one who will make sure that users of the information are following these guidelines. Information manager skills include:
- Communication skills.
- Interpersonal skills.
- Technical skills in information system technologies.
- Writing and presentation skills.
- Organizational skills.
- Management skills.
- Problem-solving skills.
- Analytical skills.
- Ability to handle crises.
- Ability to work independently or as part of a team as necessary and as needed by the organization and its members
To build these skills, you need to have the right education. Meaning, you need to have a bachelor’s degree first. So, you can study information management at a college or university, or you can earn a certification from a professional organization.
Conclusion
As you can see, good information management is a significant member of the organization. He has a lot of responsibilities. He controls the information system and creates policies and procedures for the workers to follow. Also, he also makes sure that the users are following those policies and procedures.