Is the IT Scenario Really So Rosy? Behavioral IT® can Make a Difference

There is so much euphoria about IT, particularly with IT proliferating into every area of our lives. Miracles of IT like the internet, on-line services like banking, shopping, home delivery of goods, cab-booking services, ease of communication through social media, GPRS, home-based conferencing have made life so much easier for us that we are immensely satisfied. <br><br>On the other hand, the world is complaining about the VUCA (Vulnerability, Uncertainly, Confusion and Ambiguity) world and disruptions created by IT. The picture looks so very rosy on one side and so gloomy on the other.<br><br>“Why this dichotomy?” you may wonder.<br><br>While you enjoy the convenience of on-line services delivered by IT, this paper tries to turn your attention to a little known and publicized aspect of IT – the effort and processes involved within corporates in actually bringing or delivering these services to you. Some people have made efforts behind the scene to build the solution, to implement the solution and ensure smooth delivery of services suitable to your satisfaction. <br><br>You will be surprised that your experience of IT in the workplace is completely contrary to your experience in personal life. Unbelievable, but true, the scenario in offices developing and implementing ERP solutions to bring these services to you is anything but rosy – it is, in fact, gloomy and miserable. There are over 70% failures in ERP implementations. There is turmoil due to overwork and stress during these implementations, Failures give rise to blame-game, finger-pointing and politics. So the services that reach you are only 30% that succeed, 70% don’t see the light of day.<br><br>“Why worry, when the 30% successes give you so much satisfaction and comfort in your private life?” you may say. Imagine how much better your life would have been if this 70% had succeeded. Imagine what you are missing in life because of these failures. Imagine the misery and stress that it brings to the people working behind the scene, and you could be one of them. Think of the money and effort which went down the drain. After all, the money collectively belongs to all of us.<br><br>The dichotomy is about two different scenarios - IT in your private life which is rosy, and IT project implementations in Corporate which is not so rosy. <br><br>Unfortunately, major part of Industry and Academics are not even aware of this miserable scenario. They tend to focus on the manufacturing side of IT industry and ignore the user/consumer side of IT industry. They need to focus on this most vulnerable aspect of IT – the ERP Implementation phase. The problem is not so much with technology, but with people and mindsets. Since the problems are behavioral, the solution has to be behavioral too.