INDEX | ORGANISATION | TIME LINE | PEOPLE | STORY | RESEARCH METHOD | COMMENTARY | FINDINGS | HELP | BOTTOM

Phase I (Sep 92 - Jun 93): Delivered functionality

'I think if we'd have done it in the UK and Holland, Holland's nice and near, it's only like an hour on the plane and you're there, they work the same, there's no timing difference. ... I don't think we should have tackled the States. The States was a massive job in itself, a huge job, I completely underestimated the problems that I would face, just the cultural difference, they're just so incredibly different the Americans from the English.

The Dutch aren't, the Dutch are very like us ... [But] for example, underwriters in America, our underwriters they don't use technology they never ever use the main frame. They would, once they've got the details for a particular case, they just hand it over to a services unit, and somebody who just keys all the data for them so there's no kind of IT experienced guys whatsoever. It was just a nightmare, these people can hardly switch something on you know. ... I mean even though they speak the same language, they don't you know, they don't. It was much easier in Holland, the Dutch speak better English than we do. ...

I have to say the other thing is in Holland the average age in Holland is about, I don't know late 20's to early 30's and they're all PC literate, the average age in the States, you know, was late 40's early 50's and none of them, as I said, knew IT so they were nervous about the whole thing and didn't want to get involved really.'

X013 page 019.03 (tape 03.2.05) Gordan Notes/Trans/Tape 30/09/93

Social influence: Organisation: Culture
Technical influence: Process: Project management


Recording
Story
Social influence
Technical influence

INDEX | ORGANISATION | TIME LINE | PEOPLE | STORY | RESEARCH METHOD | COMMENTARY | FINDINGS | HELP | TOP

© Clare Tagg 2000