Knowledge HierarchyThis is a featured page

Since knowledge is so critical to the Innovation Process, it is important to understand what knowledge is and where it fits in the domain of what and how people perceive, think and act. The diagram below depicts a view of the categories of what the human mind processes and the relationship between these major categories of the stuff of people's thinking.

Data, Information, Knowledge Pyramid
The history of this view of data, information and knowledge is interesting. It started with a T.S. Elliot program from 1934.
  • T.S. Elliot – The Rock; 1934
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
  • Harlan Cleveland – Information as Resource; 1982 References T.S. Elliot and added “Data” layer
  • Milan Zeleny – Management Support Systems – 1987. Suggested adding “Enlightenment” at top
  • Russell Ackoff – From Data to Wisdom – 1989 Added “Understanding” layer

Each of these layers has distinct attributes that affect creation and use.
  • Wisdom
Meaning – What to do about it
Ability to perceive and evaluate the long-term consequences of behavior.
  • Understanding
Contained in explanations.
Causality – How and why the patterns exist
Dynamics and causality that allows plausible prediction
Answers “why” questions.
  • Knowledge
Contained in instructions.
What the patterns mean – the know-what and know-how
The classes, categories, causality, relationships, dynamics etc. that are used to create predictable future outcomes
  • Information
Contained in descriptions.
Patterns – How the data is organized
Data and observations captured in a form in which patterns can be discerned and processed
Answers to questions who, what where, when, how many?
  • Data
Products of observations of people or instruments
Measurements & facts about the world



laschmitt
laschmitt 		Latest page update: made by laschmitt , Apr 1 2007, 7:33 PM EDT (about this update About This Update laschmitt Edited by laschmitt

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