14 Reasons Why Enterprise 2.0 Projects Fail | Enterprise Web 2.0 | ZDNet.com
http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=718

Printed 30/8

It’s a classic adage that we usually learn more from our failures than from our successes. I’ve find this line of reasoning with Enterprise 2.0 failures to be fascinating because of how very different it’s often turning out to be from traditional IT projects. For one, IT doesn’t seem to be in the driver’s seat nearly as much with Enterprise 2.0. In fact, the initiative is frequently coming from the business side. Two, as the latest case studies emerge and are analyzed, it is grassroots efforts that often end up being the most successful, bubbling up and then across the organization, only then to be formally adopted later. And three, many so-called Enterprise 2.0 projects are local, unblessed, informal uses of social computing software which — by their very nature — are less compliant with enterprise technology standards, legal/HR guidelines, and corporate policy. The point here is that many Enterprise 2.0 tools are often used widely in organizations without tacit approval.

IT doesn’t seem to be in the driver’s seat ...the initiative is frequently coming from the business side. Two, as the latest case studies emerge and are analyzed, it is grassroots efforts that often end up being the most successful, bubbling up and then across the organization, only then to be formally adopted later. And three, many so-called Enterprise 2.0 projects are local, unblessed, informal uses of social computing software which are less compliant with enterprise technology standards, legal/HR guidelines, and corporate policy. So, this seems to mean projects are more likely to fail due to seeming larger than usual lack of alignment and organizational backing. .... ...they were missing one or more ingredients to succeed. Occasionally some of them will hit on the right formula, reach a critical mass of participation, break out of their team or department, and begin drawing in the rest of the organization.

the smart strategy now appears to be to find and build upon the early successes stories; namely the internal but local efforts that are rising and have already hit upon the right mix of tools, participants, motivation, and content.

14 Reasons Why Enterprise 2.0 Projects Fail