It's no secret to most CIOs that managing the IT department in any major company is as much politics as technology. The question of which factor is ascendant in the corporate decision-making process is an age-old debate.

Taking the side that politics trumps technology is Randy Jones of Managed Objects in this blog entry on the topic. His point-that all politics is local, even in corporations, and that this immutable factor and the depth of its reach colors all sales-is in some ways inarguable and in others, rather obvious. I think that the more interesting question isn't whether or not corporate politics impugns upon the purchasing process (and therefore guides the course of technology architecture) but to what degree it can be overcome by clearly superior technology or design?

I don't think I know enough to answer that but wanted to throw it out on the table. What are your impressions in your organizations?