In essence, enterprise architecture is about creating targets for the future state of an enterprise. In other words, enterprise architecture is about creating a vison for an enterprise. Consequently, the process of creating an enterprise vision, doing enterprise architecture, can be viewed as a vision process.
Many authors such as Senge, Emery, Meadows and O'Brian have stressed the importance of shared visions - visions created my many - in order to create shared meaning and foster engagement.
Typically, enterprise architecture targets are created in a top-down manner by a small group of specialists which are often IT people... hence these targets (visions) are not shared. Once these targets are finished, these specialists go out an "sell" the vision to others in order to get buy-in. Because these visions are not shared, this additional "selling" step is required; a step which often fails because engagement in an idea cannot be "bought"... only compliance! Hence all the "policing" done by enterprise architects.
Approaching the process of creating enterprise architectures with the objectif of creating a shared vision has multiple advantages : the fostering of shared meaning and collaboration through dialogue. In order to create a vision which is "truly" shared, it is necessary to use a participative-democratic approach in which the collective participates in the creative process of defining the vision. At multiple levels, this creative process is fostering important exchanges between people througth the means of dialogue. At one level, the process allows particiants at to engage in creating shared understanding and meaning of the past, present and future or the organization. At deeper more personal level, the process fosters the creation pf shared understanding and meaning about the various perspectives and concerns of people across the organization. I believe that it is at this level that organization silos are truly crossed.
In summary, enterprise archecture, viewed as a vision process, is an opportunity to engage in a collective vision process which through dialogue can foster shared meaning and understanding across the organization, hence breaking-down silos.
Many authors such as Senge, Emery, Meadows and O'Brian have stressed the importance of shared visions - visions created my many - in order to create shared meaning and foster engagement.
Typically, enterprise architecture targets are created in a top-down manner by a small group of specialists which are often IT people... hence these targets (visions) are not shared. Once these targets are finished, these specialists go out an "sell" the vision to others in order to get buy-in. Because these visions are not shared, this additional "selling" step is required; a step which often fails because engagement in an idea cannot be "bought"... only compliance! Hence all the "policing" done by enterprise architects.
Approaching the process of creating enterprise architectures with the objectif of creating a shared vision has multiple advantages : the fostering of shared meaning and collaboration through dialogue. In order to create a vision which is "truly" shared, it is necessary to use a participative-democratic approach in which the collective participates in the creative process of defining the vision. At multiple levels, this creative process is fostering important exchanges between people througth the means of dialogue. At one level, the process allows particiants at to engage in creating shared understanding and meaning of the past, present and future or the organization. At deeper more personal level, the process fosters the creation pf shared understanding and meaning about the various perspectives and concerns of people across the organization. I believe that it is at this level that organization silos are truly crossed.
In summary, enterprise archecture, viewed as a vision process, is an opportunity to engage in a collective vision process which through dialogue can foster shared meaning and understanding across the organization, hence breaking-down silos.
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