The city isn’t really prepared for it when it comes. Drainage is a more a wish than a planning construct. Windows, roofs, and dusty umbrellas all seem surprised when asked to perform their intended roles, protesting through errant drops. Nonetheless, rain is so infrequent that complaints are muffled by the relief of water arriving in a country where it is desperately needed.
As I stare out of my hotel window at the aged, white boxes of the Amman skyline submersed in the passing clouds, my thoughts wander to my latest assignment. I am in Jordan to start a project focused on merging three separate IT organizations into a single, private, shared service provider. During the upcoming years, a team comprised of expatriate and local consultants will aim to build the people, processes, and technologies of a government ministry toward world-class standards.
The project began with the age-old tradition of gathering all of the soon to be affected for a kickoff meeting. Slowly they arrived in a room sized for triple the number invited, cautious not to sit to close the front, to the back, to the other departments. With some jovial goading from the presenter, the crowd eventually moved toward the first row. I stood at stage right, watching the fluctuating social dynamics ripple through audience, attempting my best “I am here to help” face.
The meeting went as all kickoff meetings go. There was a presentation that by all accounts was a touch too long, followed by pointed questions with answers that were a touch too short. However, the overall theme of the project was presented in no uncertain terms. The change you asked for, and need in order to function, begins today.
Just as the integrity of buildings and roads is tested during a rare storm in Amman, this emerging IT department will also undergo a unique and infrequent event that tests their mettle. The change they seek will not come without the equivalent of leaky windows being exposed or unplanned infrastructure causing floods. As a fellow “IT guy” who has done his fair share of trench work, I can understand what my brothers and sisters are going through. Change is hard. Change can be painful. But change is necessary. Change must happen in order to survive.
We think Enterprise 2.0 can help. Is your organization ready for the rain?
0 responses so far ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment