Information technologies and automated manufacturing processes have heightened the importance of information. With the shift to an information-based economy, and the application of ever faster, more pervasive telecommunications systems, the pace of change has accelerated. It is far easier to completely restructure the way a company processes information or what information it processes than it is to totally retool an automobile factory. Further, the speed with which information is disseminated and reconstructed is related to the number of persons handling it. At each step, people can add value to the information.
Some sources claim that the volume of information is doubling every year.
Some say it is doubling every six months. To remain at the forefront of change, even to remain viable, companies will need to become engaged in a process of continuous improvement, continuous modification, and continuous innovation. To achieve this new corporate dynamic, employers will be asking for more and more from each individual employee. One business author, Robert Tucker has said, Simply keeping up with the information explosion takes up more of our time. The evolution of business processes will not tolerate systems where only CEOs or Vice Presidents make the decisions.