The DIKW framework is an idea of how we as humans intake data and and act upon using four steps. The idea is that we take in simple data then process it into information then turn it into knowledge and act upon the situation with by using our wisdom. The first example I wish to use is from the introductory chapter in Weapons of Math Destruction. The big story in this chapter is how teachers across the United States are fired based on performance. Their performance is judged through their students performance and if the improvement of standardized test scores of the students puts the teachers in the lower percentages comparative to other teachers then those teachers with low percentages are then fired. If putting this situation into the DIKW framework, the data would be the teachers performance mathematically computed. The information would be the teachers ranking when comparing their scores to other teachers. The knowledge would be that teachers with lower scores are worse as teachers than those with higher scores. The wisdom in this situation would be to fire those with low test scores and keep those with high test scores. In class we discussed how the DIKW framework is not always accurate and how we process the data and eventually turn it into wisdom can change drastically based on the situation. This manner of firing teachers was terrible. There were many situations of great teachers being fired based on their students test scores. Teachers would correct tests to make sure to not get fired and sometimes send students into their next year with higher scores than they deserve. This resulted in honest teachers being fired as they did not seem to improve the test scores of a student. Thus the DIKW framework is not always reliable. Another example is how job applicants take a personality test by Kronos a workforce management company. People can be “red lighted” based on the test and will not receive a job. In this case the data would be the persons test results. The information would be whether or not they are red lighted and determined to be an incompatible addition to the workplace or if they will work well in the workplace. The knowledge is that people with personality issues often will have difficulty cooperating with others when working in the same environment. The wisdom would be to not hire these people. In the case of the book a man named Kyle Behm decided to leave Vanderbilt University to receive treatment for his bipolar disorder. He went to find work at a minimum wage job but was not hired due to being “red lighted”. This raises the question of whether or not people with mental disabilities should receive a pass on this test as they are ultimately destined to fail. The two examples above were failures at successfully processing data, even though when logically analyzed by a DIKW framework.
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