Crappy Systems will trump good people anytime.
Bob Sutton has an excellent blog entry. His book "Hard Facts" is also excellent.
George Westerman: IT Risk: Turning Business Threats into Competitive Advantage
Jeffrey Pfeffer: What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management
Ram Charan: Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't
Larry Bossidy: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
Peter Weill: IT Governance: How Top Performers Manage IT Decision Rights for Superior Results