A Survey on Information Flow in Research Centers Affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Information Flow is one of the most critical aspects of information management in organizations. This study aimed to review three aspects of information flow: ‘acquisition’, ‘production and storage’, and ‘dissemination’ of information in the research centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences as well as their relationships with parent, parallel, and competing organizations. In this descriptive-analytical cross-sectional survey, data were collected by means of valid and reliable questionnaires. Kruskal Wallis Test was used for data analysis through SPSS. Findings showed that there was a significant difference among centers in terms of emphasis on different kinds of ‘information acquisition sources’ (χ²= 365.40, df= 10, p=0.000), ‘methods of information acquisition’ (χ²= 32.40, df= 10, p=0.000), ‘types and formats of storage of information’ (χ²= 27.22, df= 10, p=0.001) and ‘carriers of production and storage of information’ (χ²= 28.18, df= 10, p=0.001). But In regard to emphasis on ‘audiences’, ‘methods and formats’, and ‘carriers’ of dissemination of information, there were no significant differences among research centers (χ²= 6.20, df= 10, p=0.695), (χ²= 6.40, df= 10, p=0.795) and (χ²= 16.95, df= 10, p=0.070, respectively). The current associations going on in the research centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences are mainly pertinent to two types of organizations: the parent organization (the University) and the aligned organizations. Altogether, relationships between the aligned and the competing organizations have not been defined yet. It can generally be said that the information flow is incomplete in the research centers under study.