ABSTRACT
In the opening chapters we have focused upon defining what in both theory and practice is generally meant by the management of information, and on the development of policies and strategies that can move at least some applied aspects of IM to an operational position. However, there is a danger that, in print at least, all of this can seem deceptively straightforward: it is enough to say simply, ‘IM is important’ or perhaps even ‘critical’ to the achievement of organisational success, and, as if by magic, policies and strategies to deliver both improvements and innovations in this area will gain widespread acceptance. The gap between the rhetoric of theory, even where expressed as well-crafted policy and strategy documents, and the reality of achieving action is one that is all too prevalent in the public sector domain, where complex, often legacy-based structures, scarce funding and, on occasion, conflicting political agendas can all serve to ensure that change operates only at the margins of an established modus operandi.
