DENTIFYING AND COMPARING INFORMATION CULTURES: A PERSPECTIVE FROM RESEARCH INSTITUTES AND ACADEMIC LIBRARIES

Abstract

This article aims to identify the Information culture (IC) of two research institutes and academic libraries and its alignment with organizational strategy. . Their IC was examined by use of an online survey questionnaire collecting 86 responses. The Favorability Index (FI) was used for the first time as a further methodological contribution, to allow the measurement of IC for comparison between organisations.

Results. The results indicate the academic libraries are dominated by relationship-based information culture. Research institute A (RI-A) has a result-oriented culture as their predominant IC while the research institute B (RI-B) is not dominated by any single IC, showing a tri-polar character of relationship, result and risk-taking IC. An unexpected results was found once innovation and risk is a remarkable strategy and objective of research institutes. However, the dominant information culture is not in alignment with it. Also, the tri-polar IC of RI-B contradicts the literature which states organisational information culture tends to be dominated by one or two cultures. This may show that the interplay between IC's may be more complex than first thought, providing new possibilities for further research.