Maximizing Return on Investment Using ERP Applications

KEYS TO UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, POLITICS, AND ORGANIZATION

Certain key areas need to be analyzed and addressed in planning programs. Although there are more, the following six areas lead to understanding and developing keys to success:

1. Executive barriers

2. Destructive incentives

3. Origins of the current design

4. I am what I lead

5. Levels of empowerment

6. Mean time to change one’s mind

Executive Barriers

Chris Argyris, in his book Overcoming Organizational Defenses, identifies reasons that groups of high-performing leaders become dysfunctional as executive staff groups.1 Frequently, executives come to consider their current positions as the culmination of their careers. They have risen through single functions, become recognized as the best in their career fields, and possess unassailable knowledge of their aspect of the business. These executives have adopted rigid attitudes toward business process changes that affect their areas, and without special attention to define the costs and benefits of changes to the organization as a whole, they will continue to focus only on their areas of expertise. They have strongly formed ideas about what works and what doesn’t because their ideas have been reinforced by past success and are almost always from the perspective of metrics for which they have been responsible. In addition, these executives see themselves in competition for future promotions or increases in responsibility. They also know they can win in this competition ...