After the Command Economy

Abstract

The development of information resource management in Russia is problematic. A weak business culture and the absence of rational market forces are two salient constraints inhibiting the utilization of information systems and the development of a strong “information culture†in this information-poor country. Other obstacles include: the poor quality of information,a predilection to hoard information, the lack of horizontal functional integration, lack of mechanisms for gathering and analyzing information, and the quality of management. In creating markets for existing and potential enterprises, the lack of experience with effective information gathering, sharing and management— that is, the absence both of information and also of an information culture—is a severe constraint. Information deficits constrict the most basic plans for viable market reforms. Working in the Kuzbass region of Siberia, the author found that the absence of broad economic and managerial reform also blocks effective information resource management. Ironically, many models that have been used for information systems transfer in the Third World are applicable in Russia. The notable exceptions are information systems that are integrated with those of external business partners, notably in mineral extraction industries such as coal.