Michael
You hit the nail on the head:
Digging deeper, we come across an interesting paradox. In theory, most folks applaud information sharing and transparency as worthy goals. In practice, however, some people are reluctant to release information, feeling that doing so may threaten their own personal standing or advantage.
In my experience, larger, more bureaucratic organizations tend to be comprised of people who fear the very openness and transparency that Enterprise 2.0 can offer. Collaboration and information sharing may erode the power of key internal players.
I actually talked to a friend of mine who started a job at a government agency recently and the level of distrust over even "Enterprise 1.0" things such as voice mail and email just blew my mind. While this may be an extreme example, as you point out, resistance to change can be quite the inhibitor. Of course, senior managers either cause this directly--or enable it indirectly--through their actions or inactions.
Discussion on:
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