It is a huge fail to only consider the technology aspect when making any large-scale operational change like integration. And it’s all too common: a big project is approached solely from a technology, IT perspective without full adoption by the business users and ends up being taken for granted. There is a problematic disconnect when you hear, “Haven’t we been doing this already?” which is indicative of unclear communication and worse — complete lack of understanding of any new capabilities.
Why does this happen?
We forget that even technology initiatives like integration are always just as much about the people as the new tech. Ignoring buy-in from key people across the organization breeds resistance to change with people protecting their own interests.
Properly implemented integration gives an organization the ability to build on its skills, to expose information from systems to accelerate processes and leverage events for better operational efficiency that are lost if not used correctly. With the people disconnected from the capabilities of the new tech, this investment is wasted in favor of more of the same. We often hear about skilled engineers who return to their old habits when push comes to shove. [Read more...]
