|
Rick: I've been trying to write an essay for months on exactly this topic ... and the right words continue to elude me, so I don't know if I'm going to be a help here ... Many of the people who make final decisions on IT don't know very much about the subject ... So they go with their gut ... Their gut is influenced by other people who also don't know very much about IT, but can be very passionate about what they believe ... Some of the most problematic influencers are major vendors, who have observed that it is easier to sell IT solutions that have the most sizzle in the marketplace, rather than selling based on the actual virtues of the products. I would guess that everyone on this list understands that much, if not most, of what's "hot" in our business is really not very good for the enterprise. But our clients see IT through the eyes of uninformed Business Week journalists, full-page ads in the WSJ, and the WinTel computer on their desks ... Their reality is completely detached from ours ... In the good old days, the individuals our clients would turn to for a reality check were actually qualified to perform that service ... In the '60s and before, IT people were crossovers from the applied and theoretical sciences, demanding fields in their own right, and knew what it was about ... In the '70s and early '80s, we were disciples of such people ... But those influences have faded, and what I see today is a situation in which a person need only know 5 things about computers that his boss doesn't know, and he or she is instantly granted the title of "IT guru". It's a mess ... I know you're looking for a "T" chart that will illuminate management's consciousness, but I believe this is a cultural anthropology problem, and not about reason at all. I think management needs to be sold on who to believe ... and I think the cards are stacked against the right choices ... Sorry ... I know it's a wet blanket reply ... But it's the best I could do ... Good luck! John G. Dyer, CDP Vice President Information Management Consultants, Inc. jdyer@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.imcedi.com 812.421.0045 ext. 203
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
This mailing list archive is Copyright 1997-2024 by midrange.com and David Gibbs as a compilation work. Use of the archive is restricted to research of a business or technical nature. Any other uses are prohibited. Full details are available on our policy page. If you have questions about this, please contact [javascript protected email address].
Operating expenses for this site are earned using the Amazon Associate program and Google Adsense.