The reality of large-scale systems implementation is very different from what the stories generally show. Users are powerful, and they may not like what you're doing. No one can afford to rest easy, having followed the prescribed recipe for success. If you listen to consultants, academics and yes, the press, business can seem abstracted, even formulaic. As much as I dislike the current trend to glorify business endeavors as something revolutionary and profound, some amazing things are happening on the front lines.
Business is life, and life is blood and guts.
Individuals attempting Big Things encounter political scheming and naivet , self-interest and charity, fear and enthusiasm. But because this is a time of profound change, there are examples of heroics to be found. When Bob Hiebeler encountered user resistance to Arthur Andersen's Global Best Practices knowledge base, he might have been justified in admitting defeat. Clearly, consultants had too much at stake to ever voluntarily share their information or deign to use knowledge supplied by others. Besides, such a system, if taken to its logical conclusion, might actually compete with the consultants themselves.