A seasoned HR leader told me that one of the keys to managing HR technology was to be prepared for disappointment. It’s worth distinguishing this droll observation from tales of HR technology disasters; his point was that even when implementation goes reasonably well, the result often falls short of our hopes.
This disappointment is, in many cases, unavoidable because it’s impossible to get everyone committed to the new technology without an overly-optimistic view of what it will do, what it will cost, and how long it will take to implement. Combine that dynamic with the natural tendency for vendors to promise the moon and for buyers to believe what they want to believe, and you have a recipe for repeated disappointment.
The conclusion is to build managing disappointment into your plans. Be clear on what’s essential and deliver that. Keep an eye on what initial promises you won’t be able to deliver on and find a way to let people down gently. Perhaps one day your organization will develop the maturity to recognize what is achievable and escape the cycle of constant disappointment — until then, disappointment and HR tech will remain close companions.