I had a discussion recently with someone who asked me, as a knowledge management strategist, how I would address the issue of getting buy-in from several different division heads for a IT-based KM project. I hemmed and hawed at the time, but I've been thinking since then that if the people are that resistant to the change, I haven't yet understood what is driving their needs and behaviors.
I've been drafting a response in my head and came across this piece from Martin Dugage, which goes about the answer in a different way: No pain, no gain:
Developing a collaborative working environment coming from a rigid bureaucratic hierarchy is probably the biggest change a company can undertake. So unless there is a very good reason to go down that path, it won't, no matter how hard you try.
That's something we, collaborative leaders, should meditate more often.