Your taxonomy is your future

February, 2000

The way your company organizes information (i.e. its taxonomy) is critical to its future. A taxonomy not only frames the way people make decisions, but also helps them find the information to weigh all the alternatives. A good taxonomy helps decision makers see all the perspectives, "drill down" to get details from each, and explore lateral relationships among them. Without it, your company will find it difficult to leverage intellectual capital, engage in electronic commerce, keep up with employee training, and get the most out of  strategic partnerships. Includes examples with links.

For example, would you classify a carrot or a grain of rice as a food or a drug? Would you classify a cotton bole as a fiber or a pesticide? According to two recent articles, they can be classified as both (see "Is Monsanto's Biotech Worth Less Than a Hill of Beans?" and "The voice of reason in the global food fight," ( Fortune , February 21, 2000). Moreover, the interests of farmers, consumers, developing countries, environmentalists, and health care professionals are all intertwined in complex ways. A good taxonomy helps decision makers see all the perspectives, "drill down" to get details from each, and explore lateral relationships among them. 

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