Murphy initially worked to create a flexible and adaptive IT organization. He made it clear that
his main goal was to service IT's customers 110%; customers in his view were the business units, not
the guests (who went on cruises). IT's responsibility was to make sure that the business units had all
the tools and the data necessary for them to exceed the ultimate guests' expectations.
From the trade perspective, RCCL for a long time had been seen as the leader and technological
innovator, always one step ahead of the competition. Carnival and RCCL were in a ship -technology
horse race. RCCL was also perceived as better in IT, but prior to 1997 that had not been a high
priority to the corporation. IT had been just a means to an end. Thus, Murphy and Williams's idea
that IT was to be leveraged as a competitive advantage was news to everyone.
From day one, Murphy was clear that change would come. Two VPs were fired, and several
welcomed resignations occurred. Many managers displayed an "already tried before" attitude. The
concept of customer service was foreign. Some were described as "rocks that blocked the flowers to
blossom." Once the rock was removed, one could find this beautiful flower waiting to blossom. Perry