Information governance and power relations: Reflections on archival education in Québec

Abstract

Information governance provides a framework of accountability for the effective and efficient use of information to meet organizational objectives and compliance requirements. While information functions are often carried out by separate units that frequently work in silos, information governance is based on an interactive approach, taking into account notions of participation, power, and negotiation. Power and political competencies, and organizational realities are inherent to effective governance. Not all actors, however have the same political weight and the same skills to assert themselves as important players. The implementation of an information governance framework should enable records managers and archivists to position themselves as key players in the organization. Based on a research project conducted in two phases (a statistical survey in 2015, enriched by interviews in 2017–2019 with information professionals and IT professionals), this paper presents the organizational actors of information governance, the influencing factors that allow them to exert some power over each other, and what competencies are required in context from records managers and archivists to play a strategic role. We also examine the integration of these competencies into university-based archival training programs in Québec, Canada.