Too Smart for Their Own Good

The people who work for EDS CIO Milholland love technology. And therein lies the problem. "I wouldn't exactly say that I get second-guessed, but there are lots of people with opinions about what we ought to do in terms of technology and what we ought to use,"explains Milholland, who is also senior vice president and CTO.

Fortunately, Milholland has been dealing with smart, informed but often troublesome users for his entire career. He came to Texas-based EDS after 21 years at Seattle-based Boeing. As a result, he understood that an autocratic approach would never work at EDS. "When you're dealing with people that are technology savvy, you could stand there as a sort of dictator and say, I know best. And for a little while, you'd be successful,"Milholland explains. "But in the long run, it's better to invite other opinions."

To that end, all of the company's 140,000 employees in 60 countries are permitted to weigh in on IT issues via a Web-based workspace. EDS also has established operating councils that include users from various business groups. Milholland says he's tried to create an open and flexible system - with one exception. "After there's been a vigorous exchange of views and something is settled on, that decision must be enforced,"he explains. "Then the debate is over."

When Milholland was looking for an ERP solution in 2000, he found that there were all kinds of users who had pet technologies they wanted to use. After soliciting input electronically and hashing out issues on the ERP operating council, the decision was made to upgrade to an SAP 4.6c system. "Along the way a lot of people came along and said they would prefer the latest package from this or that vendor. But in the end, we made the decision,"Milholland says. Thus far, all US locations are upgrading, and the EDS offices in 23 countries have standardised on SAP for finance and HR.

Milholland says it's often enough just to give users the opportunity to be heard. "If you provide that path, you actually reduce the amount of noise you have to deal with."

A CIO's Guide to the Toughest Users

SPECIES: THE OLD DOG

Behaviour: Fearful of new systems because "we've never done it that way".

Common habitats: Government, construction companies, not-for-profit organisations.

Identifiable characteristics: Desk littered with Post-it notes; gold pin for 20 years of service.

Care instructions: Introduce one big change at a time. Explain how the new system incorporates their old way of doing things. Install reward and recognition systems for using new technology.

SPECIES: THE MISSIONARY

Behaviour: Busy and driven by a higher calling (for example, saving lives, curing cancer, litigating); thinks learning about IT is a waste of precious time.

Common habitats: Hospitals, law firms, pharmaceutical companies.

Identifiable characteristics: Assistant who reads him his e-mail; 80-hour workweek; six-figure salary.

Care instructions: Explain new systems in terms to which they can relate: for example, improving care, saving time, increasing revenue. Enlist user liaisons. Tailor training to their needs.

SPECIES: THE KNOW-IT-ALL

Behaviour: Tends to have strong opinions about everything from system requirements to vendor selection.

Common habitats: High-tech companies, business consultancies, engineering firms.

Identifiable characteristics: Late-model PDA; technology conference badge.

Care instructions: Create mechanisms for input. Invite criticism.

SPECIES: THE NERVOUS NELLIE

Behaviour: Burned by bad IT implementations, worries that any change will be bad.

Common habitats: Anywhere and everywhere.

Identifiable characteristics: Arms folded in disbelief, head shaken in disgust.

Care instructions: Ensure every major project has metrics that can be tracked. Publicise practicality of new systems. Build IT strategy from the bottom up.