Introduction
Steve Jackson, a project professional in the Project Evaluation Group (PEG) of Western Construction, is heading toward a crisis as he tries to implement new software he has recommended the company upgrade to. Jackson feels that the BSO software would be a major improvement and would “put better detailing at the fingertips of the decision makers and do so more quickly”. Upper management, including his boss Luke Williams and Williams boss Abu Dija are on board but another manager within Dija’s group was not. Barnett, the manager of the International Bidding and Contracting Group, has told Jackson and Williams that he thinks the software is a bad idea and has brought his concerns about the software to Abu Dija and even questioned Jackson’s competence. Williams has told Jackson he needs to deal with Barnett to avoid derailment of the rollout.
Symptoms and Causes
During the demoing process for the BSO software, Barnett expressed his opposition. He felt it was an inferior product, was too complex and would cost time, money and some good people. Despite Barnett’s view, the software was well received by management. Throughout the process, Barnett’s boss or colleagues superiors were not willing to address Barnett’s obvious resistance and had placed the responsibility solely on Jackson’s shoulders. Dija’s friendship with Barnett makes the situation more complicated. Williams had an opportunity to address Barnett in regards to the software rollout but “chickened out”. Ultimately, everyone seemed intimidated by Barnett and had allowed him to express his opinions about software he has never used with impunity.
Unfortunately, Jackson did not recognize the importance Barnett’s resistance would play in the success of the software rollout or how it would affect his standing within the company. He ignored the early signs that should have been addressed early on in