Think about the last time you were in a foreign country and didn’t speak the native language. It’s exhausting and frustrating to not be able to express even the simplest of ideas without resorting to excessive hand-waving or Englishification. Complex thoughts are usually deconstructed into simple caveman-esque noun + verb combinations. While the general intention can be clear, the nuance that accompanies the intention is often lost in translation.

I see the same frustration today with sourcing buyers who want to engage as-a-service (XaaS) providers. Although many of these initial conversations go well, just as many start out as if the parties were speaking two different languages. This is especially pronounced if IT is the buyer or is engaged in the buying process. In my experience, these conversations often devolve into “they don’t know what they are talking about” when, in fact, both sides are quite savvy in their specific area of expertise.

This expertise is often very different, and has very different motivations.

SOURCE: computerworld.com