Whenever you have worked with large institution or company, employed or in a project, you will know the pattern. Sooner or later you hit the wall, a barrier beyond getting your project moving becomes close to impossible, a kind of e=mc² acceleration limit for managment. You might started in good hope for having your special project being started differently than all the failing others before. You maybe had a great kick-off and the backing from top-ranking executives, a clear goal and an common understanding on the strategic importance. And then, sooner or later, progress gets slower and slower. There are a lots of reasons for it and even in the smallest group, project management is far from being a self-burner. Project managment seems to be closer to an black art and I don't want to talk about it here, way to boring(read the book, it works). I only want to comment this single argument you will always hear:

This company can't do any better, it is in the companies genes, it is slow because it is so big and the processes are the reason for the project is only dragging along.

Wrong! Utterly wrong! This are just excuses from the people who are in charge and actually step back from  taking the personal risk to make accountable, risky decisions on their own. Oh, yeah, they always claim they would if they could. No! They are in their positions at that company for a reason, choosing the comfortable cooperate payments structure with fixed bonus payments and a lifetime security plan over the entrepreneurial approach. Don't get me wrong here, this is perfectly ok. For them. But please, don't bother me with claiming it is not their fault. Please say something, like:

ok, i think you got the right idea here, but overall it is risky and it could fail and when i approve it and it fails it will be bad for my career. And when it succeeds it will just give me a just a minor boost beyond the raise i will get anyhow just for beeing here and keeping things calm and not getting my boss in trouble.

yes, it is in the company genes, YOU ARE the company genes. Blame yourself for not getting off the ground. Start mutating and evolve or keep going and go bust. farewell to extinction, and

have fun

ps.: if you are a telco interested in communities and social software go check out: webjam,
"Myspace
plus netvibes on steroids" Pete
Cashmore, Mashable