| An explosive increase in the quantity of data, information, and knowledge created and transferred within organizations combined with leaner structures, is causing information anxiety especially amongst middle managers. Evidence of this unfortunate situation exists in the private and public sectors alike. Many experts hypothesize that knowledge management may be the way ahead in combating this debilitating organizational disease.; To date the focus of most knowledge management research has been exploratory in nature. Several scholars have clearly articulated the theories underpinning knowledge management providing an excellent foundation on which advanced research may build. This project sought to continue this research by considering if some Public Service middle managers report lower levels of information anxiety.; An empirical examination of Canadian Public Service middle managers revealed that most of the sample reported relatively low levels of information anxiety. The most important finding of this project was the discovery that Public Service middle managers reported Accessing Information to be a significantly more troubling problem than Information Overload. Accessing Information---defined as knowing exactly where to find data or information, but not having the key to access it---was the number one concern of the sample. The type of tasks performed by the respondents was not a major factor; however, there was a significant negative relationship between frequency of task and information anxiety. The discovery of a weak positive relationship between tacit knowledge use and information anxiety provides the promise of exciting future research opportunities. Similarly, weak relationships between gender, education, and experience highlighted the need for additional research.; Exploratory research demonstrated the potential of a new model for knowledge management, the genesis of which was the Torii, a Japanese architectural structure used to mark the entrance to a sanctuary. In addition, the Organizational management strategy, which is based on a philosophy of collaboration and aims to encourage knowledge pooling, emerged as the most likely strategy to be effective in the Canadian Public Service environment. |
