Unveiling the dynamics of information management behaviour: A comprehensive study of farmer producer organizations in Mahabubnagar District, Telangana

Abstract

In today's world, Information management has become a key strategy for enhancing organizational development and sustainability. It's also crucial for ensuring the competitive advantage of any organization. The main objective of information management is to ensure that an organization makes the most out of its information resources. This process involves activities such as acquiring, utilization, accessing, and dissemination of information. However, it's still unclear whether the way information acquired is shared to improve the work behavior of members of organization. This study aims to explore how information management behavior works by examining three specific aspects: Information Acquisition Behavior (IAB), Information Processing Behavior (IPB), and Information Dissemination Behavior (IDB) within Farmer Producer Organizations in Mahabubnagar District, Telangana. An ex-post facto research design was used, and data was collected through a structured questionnaire with 100 participants. The results show that the majority of respondents exhibited a high level of Information Acquisition Behavior (64%), followed by Information Processing Behavior (58%) and Information Dissemination Behavior (51%). The study found that the most effective methods for acquiring agricultural and allied information were through personal and local channels, such as discussions with fellow FPO members, and impersonal or broader channels like cluster meetings. For processing information, the most important factors were evaluating the economic and local feasibility of the information. In terms of disseminating information, discussions with NGO or private organization officials were the most valued approach.