I’ve seen several companies lately with what’s known as Bright Shiny Object syndrome. You can already imagine what this looks like: IT managers talking about Service Oriented Architecture but unable to identify their companies’ key business processes. IT staff researching MDM solutions before pinpointing the reference data most important to the business. Users proselytizing data governance, but in the meantime refusing to provide funding for data management.

One client recently ‘fessed up to BSO syndrome using a different metaphor. “We have organizational ADD,” she explained, her tongue firmly implanted in her cheek. Illustrating the point, she continued, “A bunch of executives will be in a planning meeting, and all of a sudden someone will look out the window and say, ‘Look! A chicken!’ Suddenly the meeting is all about poultry.”

Bright Shiny Object Syndrome is the purview of smart people who are always a few steps ahead. They are intellectually curious about emerging trends, often recognizing the promise of a new concept before even seeing it in action. These people deserve credit for beginning with the end in mind.

But it’s a balancing act. BSOs can befuddle well-meaning managers who want to do what’s best for a company that might be far from ready to adopt the concept. They can usurp current tactics and thwart reasonable expectations. Show me a company that failed with its initial CRM project, or one with a data quality tool rendered shelfware, or for whom “governance” is a four-letter word, and I’ll show you Bright Shiny Objects that quickly lost their luster.

A CIO I’m working with right now does a brilliant job of using Bright Shiny Objects to his advantage. “It’s my job to create tension in the organization,” he explained to me recently. “I need to educate my executive team and my board about the possibilities. But I’m also responsible for managing their expectations.”  In a hilarious pantomime, he pulls an invisible object from his jacket, flashes it around exclaiming, “Shiny! Shiny!” and quickly stashes it back in his pocket. Thus, executives can see the future, but know they can’t have it. Yet.