Organizational “Make-Up” - The Impact of Blending People, Places, and Technology

“Our industry has always focused on multi-culturalization of technology products, and as we move into an increasingly global and polyglot commercial community, this work becomes increasingly important. In 43 years in the software industry, it has been my privilege to manage a number of multicultural and multinational teams, and also to lecture on ‘Organizational Behavior’ with regards to such environments. While it is obviously important to focus on the developing and expanding technologies themselves, we should not forget the impact of the multicultural nature of the people working on these technologies. It is my premise that 95% of all acquisitions fail because of the people, not because of the products or services, and that a significant number of the delays and problems associated with technology advances can also be attributed to the people, not the products. This presentation will cover some of the problems and possible solutions faced by organizations developing technology across country and cultural boundaries, and will focus on the PEOPLE, not on the TECHNOLOGY”