Adding a team was the wrong strategic decision

A well-intentioned organizational decision to add a new customer experience team failed due to misaligned decision-making processes, poor organizational structure, and inadequate understanding of the existing sociotechnical system. The article demonstrates how bypassing cross-functional input and creating teams with unclear reporting lines and autonomous ownership undermines strategic goals, even when addressing legitimate business problems. For IT leaders, this illustrates the critical importance of participatory decision-making, maintaining system-wide thinking when reorganizing, and ensuring new teams have clear ownership, collaboration models, and integration with existing structures.