{"id":3295,"date":"2026-02-07T10:39:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T10:39:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/why-weve-been-working-this-way-for-years-undermines-microsoft-365\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T10:53:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T10:53:36","slug":"why-weve-been-working-this-way-for-years-undermines-microsoft-365","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/why-weve-been-working-this-way-for-years-undermines-microsoft-365\/","title":{"rendered":"Why &#8220;we&#8217;ve been working this way for years&#8221; undermines Microsoft 365"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3295\" class=\"elementor elementor-3295 elementor-3277\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8531412 e-flex e-con-boxed sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8531412\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-231cc50 sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"231cc50\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p data-start=\"673\" data-end=\"775\">Microsoft 365 is installed.<br data-start=\"704\" data-end=\"707\">Licenses have been paid.<br data-start=\"730\" data-end=\"733\">Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive are ready.<\/p><p data-start=\"777\" data-end=\"809\">And yet everything remains &#8230; the same.<\/p><p data-start=\"811\" data-end=\"930\">Files continue to circulate via email.<br data-start=\"849\" data-end=\"852\">Teams is &#8220;briefly tested&#8221; and then ignored.<br data-start=\"898\" data-end=\"901\">SharePoint is &#8220;something for IT.&#8221;<\/p><p data-start=\"932\" data-end=\"981\">The reason?<br data-start=\"941\" data-end=\"944\">One sentence you probably recognize:<\/p><blockquote data-start=\"983\" data-end=\"1020\"><p data-start=\"985\" data-end=\"1020\"><em data-start=\"985\" data-end=\"1020\">&#8220;Yeah but &#8230; we&#8217;ve been working like this for years.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><p data-start=\"1022\" data-end=\"1140\">That mindset is exactly <strong data-start=\"1043\" data-end=\"1098\">where Microsoft 365 is starting to fail in Flemish SMEs<\/strong>. Not by technology, but by behavior. <\/p><h2 data-start=\"1147\" data-end=\"1197\">The real problem is not IT &#8211; it is habit<\/h2><p data-start=\"1199\" data-end=\"1282\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve been working this way for years&#8221; sounds innocuous.<br data-start=\"1241\" data-end=\"1244\">In reality, it usually means:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1284\" data-end=\"1441\"><li data-start=\"1284\" data-end=\"1332\"><p data-start=\"1286\" data-end=\"1332\">no one wants to change their ways<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1333\" data-end=\"1370\"><p data-start=\"1335\" data-end=\"1370\">there are no clear agreements<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1371\" data-end=\"1398\"><p data-start=\"1373\" data-end=\"1398\">everyone is just doing something<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1399\" data-end=\"1441\"><p data-start=\"1401\" data-end=\"1441\">IT gets to fix it when things go wrong<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"1443\" data-end=\"1609\">Microsoft 365 <strong data-start=\"1457\" data-end=\"1483\">reinforces what&#8217;s already there<\/strong>.<br data-start=\"1484\" data-end=\"1487\">Is your way of working chaotic? Then that chaos grows.<br data-start=\"1549\" data-end=\"1552\">Is there no structure? Then digital sprawl ensues.  <\/p><p data-start=\"1611\" data-end=\"1683\">Technology changes nothing if people continue to do what they always did.<\/p><h2 data-start=\"1690\" data-end=\"1742\">Why Microsoft 365 clashes with old work habits<\/h2><p data-start=\"1744\" data-end=\"1839\">Microsoft 365 is built around <strong data-start=\"1774\" data-end=\"1838\">collaboration, transparency and shared responsibility<\/strong>.<\/p><p data-start=\"1841\" data-end=\"1884\">Classic SME habits often are not:<\/p><ul data-start=\"1886\" data-end=\"2022\"><li data-start=\"1886\" data-end=\"1921\"><p data-start=\"1888\" data-end=\"1921\">&#8220;My files are on my PC&#8221;<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1922\" data-end=\"1955\"><p data-start=\"1924\" data-end=\"1955\">&#8220;I&#8217;ll email a new version.&#8221;<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1956\" data-end=\"1991\"><p data-start=\"1958\" data-end=\"1991\">&#8220;Everyone makes their own folder&#8221;<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"1992\" data-end=\"2022\"><p data-start=\"1994\" data-end=\"2022\">&#8220;IT will find it&#8221;<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2024\" data-end=\"2040\">That clashes. Hard. <\/p><p data-start=\"2084\" data-end=\"2101\">What you get then:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2103\" data-end=\"2283\"><li data-start=\"2103\" data-end=\"2139\"><p data-start=\"2105\" data-end=\"2139\">5 versions of the same document<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2140\" data-end=\"2180\"><p data-start=\"2142\" data-end=\"2180\">no one knows what the correct version is<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2181\" data-end=\"2213\"><p data-start=\"2183\" data-end=\"2213\">files disappear &#8220;suddenly&#8221;<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2214\" data-end=\"2244\"><p data-start=\"2216\" data-end=\"2244\">employee frustration<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2245\" data-end=\"2283\"><p data-start=\"2247\" data-end=\"2283\">distrust of Microsoft 365<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2285\" data-end=\"2311\">And then the conclusion follows:<\/p><blockquote data-start=\"2313\" data-end=\"2342\"><p data-start=\"2315\" data-end=\"2342\">&#8220;Microsoft 365 doesn&#8217;t work.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote><p data-start=\"2344\" data-end=\"2387\">No.<br data-start=\"2348\" data-end=\"2351\"><strong data-start=\"2351\" data-end=\"2387\">It is not used correctly.<\/strong><\/p><h2 data-start=\"2394\" data-end=\"2446\">Microsoft 365 requires commitments, not improvisation<\/h2><p data-start=\"2448\" data-end=\"2518\">Microsoft 365 is not a loose set of tools.<br data-start=\"2487\" data-end=\"2490\">It is a <strong data-start=\"2501\" data-end=\"2517\">work environment<\/strong>.<\/p><p data-start=\"2520\" data-end=\"2557\">That means making choices:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2559\" data-end=\"2717\"><li data-start=\"2559\" data-end=\"2597\"><p data-start=\"2561\" data-end=\"2597\">Where do we work together on documents?<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2598\" data-end=\"2627\"><p data-start=\"2600\" data-end=\"2627\">When do we use Teams?<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2628\" data-end=\"2654\"><p data-start=\"2630\" data-end=\"2654\">What belongs in SharePoint?<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2655\" data-end=\"2692\"><p data-start=\"2657\" data-end=\"2692\">What remains personal in OneDrive?<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2693\" data-end=\"2717\"><p data-start=\"2695\" data-end=\"2717\">Who gets to modify what?<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2719\" data-end=\"2736\">Without appointments:<\/p><ul data-start=\"2737\" data-end=\"2847\"><li data-start=\"2737\" data-end=\"2769\"><p data-start=\"2739\" data-end=\"2769\">everyone uses it differently<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2770\" data-end=\"2795\"><p data-start=\"2772\" data-end=\"2795\">resistance arises<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2796\" data-end=\"2812\"><p data-start=\"2798\" data-end=\"2812\">people drop out<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"2813\" data-end=\"2847\"><p data-start=\"2815\" data-end=\"2847\">and returns to e-mail<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"2849\" data-end=\"2941\">This is why we hammer so hard on our pillar page:<br data-start=\"2896\" data-end=\"2899\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/blog\/using-microsoft-365-correctly\/\"><strong data-start=\"2902\" data-end=\"2939\">Using Microsoft 365 correctly<\/strong><\/a><\/p><p data-start=\"2943\" data-end=\"3009\">Not &#8220;more features.&#8221;<br data-start=\"2964\" data-end=\"2967\">But <strong data-start=\"2972\" data-end=\"3008\">order, structure and clarity<\/strong>.<\/p><h2 data-start=\"3016\" data-end=\"3078\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve been working this way for years&#8221; is actually fear of change<\/h2><p data-start=\"3080\" data-end=\"3146\">Let&#8217;s face it.<br data-start=\"3102\" data-end=\"3105\">That phrase rarely means &#8220;it works well.&#8221;<\/p><p data-start=\"3148\" data-end=\"3168\">Mostly she means:<\/p><ul data-start=\"3170\" data-end=\"3293\"><li data-start=\"3170\" data-end=\"3185\"><p data-start=\"3172\" data-end=\"3185\">uncertainty<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3186\" data-end=\"3215\"><p data-start=\"3188\" data-end=\"3215\">fear of making mistakes<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3216\" data-end=\"3253\"><p data-start=\"3218\" data-end=\"3253\">no time to learn something new<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3254\" data-end=\"3293\"><p data-start=\"3256\" data-end=\"3293\">past bad experiences<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"3295\" data-end=\"3315\">And that&#8217;s human.<\/p><p data-start=\"3317\" data-end=\"3406\">But here&#8217;s the hard truth \ud83d\udc47<br data-start=\"3350\" data-end=\"3353\"><strong data-start=\"3353\" data-end=\"3406\">Not changing today costs more than changing.<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"3408\" data-end=\"3535\"><li data-start=\"3408\" data-end=\"3428\"><p data-start=\"3410\" data-end=\"3428\">More wasted time<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3429\" data-end=\"3444\"><p data-start=\"3431\" data-end=\"3444\">More errors<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3445\" data-end=\"3467\"><p data-start=\"3447\" data-end=\"3467\">More IT incidents<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3468\" data-end=\"3483\"><p data-start=\"3470\" data-end=\"3483\">More stress<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3484\" data-end=\"3535\"><p data-start=\"3486\" data-end=\"3535\">Less return on your Microsoft 365 licenses<\/p><\/li><\/ul><h2 data-start=\"3542\" data-end=\"3582\">What successful SMEs do differently<\/h2><p data-start=\"3584\" data-end=\"3651\">SMBs where Microsoft 365 does work don&#8217;t do magic.<br data-start=\"3636\" data-end=\"3639\">They do this:<\/p><ol data-start=\"3653\" data-end=\"3988\"><li data-start=\"3653\" data-end=\"3735\"><p data-start=\"3656\" data-end=\"3681\"><strong data-start=\"3656\" data-end=\"3681\">They set game rules<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"3685\" data-end=\"3735\"><li data-start=\"3685\" data-end=\"3706\"><p data-start=\"3687\" data-end=\"3706\">this is how we work together<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3710\" data-end=\"3735\"><p data-start=\"3712\" data-end=\"3735\">this is how we share documents<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-start=\"3737\" data-end=\"3815\"><p data-start=\"3740\" data-end=\"3760\"><strong data-start=\"3740\" data-end=\"3760\">They start small<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"3764\" data-end=\"3815\"><li data-start=\"3764\" data-end=\"3785\"><p data-start=\"3766\" data-end=\"3785\">not all at once<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3789\" data-end=\"3815\"><p data-start=\"3791\" data-end=\"3815\">one clear structure<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-start=\"3817\" data-end=\"3900\"><p data-start=\"3820\" data-end=\"3847\"><strong data-start=\"3820\" data-end=\"3847\">They engage users<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"3851\" data-end=\"3900\"><li data-start=\"3851\" data-end=\"3872\"><p data-start=\"3853\" data-end=\"3872\">why are we doing this?<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3876\" data-end=\"3900\"><p data-start=\"3878\" data-end=\"3900\">what does it get them?<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li data-start=\"3902\" data-end=\"3988\"><p data-start=\"3905\" data-end=\"3942\"><strong data-start=\"3905\" data-end=\"3942\">They let IT steer, not dictate<\/strong><\/p><ul data-start=\"3946\" data-end=\"3988\"><li data-start=\"3946\" data-end=\"3962\"><p data-start=\"3948\" data-end=\"3962\">IT facilitates<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"3966\" data-end=\"3988\"><p data-start=\"3968\" data-end=\"3988\">business decides<\/p><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol><p data-start=\"3990\" data-end=\"4061\">Result<br>Microsoft 365 becomes a tool.<br data-start=\"4036\" data-end=\"4039\">Not a required number.<\/p><h2 data-start=\"4068\" data-end=\"4133\">Microsoft 365 is not a problem solver &#8211; it&#8217;s an amplifier<\/h2><p data-start=\"4135\" data-end=\"4167\">This is crucial to understand:<\/p><blockquote data-start=\"4169\" data-end=\"4245\"><p data-start=\"4171\" data-end=\"4245\">Microsoft 365 does not fix bad habits.<br data-start=\"4216\" data-end=\"4219\">It <strong data-start=\"4225\" data-end=\"4244\">magnifies them<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote><p data-start=\"4247\" data-end=\"4275\">Without clear agreements:<\/p><ul data-start=\"4276\" data-end=\"4333\"><li data-start=\"4276\" data-end=\"4290\"><p data-start=\"4278\" data-end=\"4290\">more chaos<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4291\" data-end=\"4310\"><p data-start=\"4293\" data-end=\"4310\">more frustration<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4311\" data-end=\"4333\"><p data-start=\"4313\" data-end=\"4333\">more &#8220;workarounds&#8221;<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"4335\" data-end=\"4360\">With clear agreements:<\/p><ul data-start=\"4361\" data-end=\"4435\"><li data-start=\"4361\" data-end=\"4386\"><p data-start=\"4363\" data-end=\"4386\">faster cooperation<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4387\" data-end=\"4403\"><p data-start=\"4389\" data-end=\"4403\">fewer mails<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4404\" data-end=\"4421\"><p data-start=\"4406\" data-end=\"4421\">fewer errors<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4422\" data-end=\"4435\"><p data-start=\"4424\" data-end=\"4435\">more grip<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"4437\" data-end=\"4546\">That&#8217;s why our message remains consistent:<br>\ud83d\udc49 <strong data-start=\"4481\" data-end=\"4546\">Use Microsoft 365 correctly, or don&#8217;t actually use it.<\/strong><\/p><h2 data-start=\"4553\" data-end=\"4591\">How to make a difference today<\/h2><p data-start=\"4593\" data-end=\"4644\">You don&#8217;t have to start a big transformation project.<\/p><p data-start=\"4646\" data-end=\"4657\">Start here:<\/p><ul data-start=\"4659\" data-end=\"4777\"><li data-start=\"4659\" data-end=\"4706\"><p data-start=\"4661\" data-end=\"4706\">Stop using &#8220;we&#8217;ve been working this way for years&#8221; as an excuse<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4707\" data-end=\"4739\"><p data-start=\"4709\" data-end=\"4739\">make one clear appointment<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4740\" data-end=\"4758\"><p data-start=\"4742\" data-end=\"4758\">explain why<\/p><\/li><li data-start=\"4759\" data-end=\"4777\"><p data-start=\"4761\" data-end=\"4777\">keep it simple<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p data-start=\"4779\" data-end=\"4867\">Most importantly,<br data-start=\"4789\" data-end=\"4792\">let Microsoft 365 <strong data-start=\"4811\" data-end=\"4848\">support<\/strong>, not undermine, <strong data-start=\"4811\" data-end=\"4848\">your way of working<\/strong>.<\/p><p data-start=\"4869\" data-end=\"5011\">\ud83d\udc49 Be sure to read our pillar page <strong data-start=\"4904\" data-end=\"4939\">Using Microsoft 365 correctly<\/strong> if you are looking for structure, examples and practical guidance for your SME.<\/p><p data-start=\"4869\" data-end=\"5011\">Do you doubt that Microsoft 365 is being used correctly at your site?<br data-start=\"514\" data-end=\"517\">Often one conversation is enough to avoid weeks of frustration.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99e32fe sc_fly_static elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"99e32fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/contact\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Request a no-obligation Microsoft 365 check<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Microsoft 365 is installed.Licenses have been paid.Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive are ready. And&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3296,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-using-microsoft-365-correctly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3295"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3295\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3298,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3295\/revisions\/3298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.microsoft365specialisten.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}