Senior Management Clueless - Sound Familiar?

Filed in archive RFID Basics on October 10, 2004

A recent survey by Unisys U.K. found that just under half of board level executives had no idea what RFID is. Source: "Senior management 'clueless' about RFID."



I do not find this survey all that surprising. After all, in the not-so-distant (pre-Wal-Mart mandate) past, RFID technology was rather obscure and even a little boring. So it doesn't shock me that business executives, especially those far removed from day-to-day operations, might not know what RFID is. (Now if they'd said they hadn't heard of the Internet, then I'd be worried.)

In my view, the best insights coming out of this survey are from the Unisys press release, quoting John Bright of Unisys. He helps us understand the practical implications of RFID:

"As ever, though, technology alone cannot provide a full solution. Supply chain innovators need to overcome significant hurdles, including Change management and cultural change. They also need to take a close look at modifications they may need to make to existing business processes to get the most out of a new RFID investment. Cost, package re-design, regulatory issues and training are just some of the obstacles they may have to overcome - but businesses must also spend time understanding where the vulnerabilities in their businesses really lie if their supply chain investment is going to pay off."

Emphasis mine.