A holistic and integrated OR solution is a powerful differentiator
People-related issues are consistently cited as one of the primary challenges to the success of major technology-based initiatives.
Organizational Readiness’ (OR) goal is to integrate the “people” component of transformation with the “process” and “technology” components to ensure a successful business transformation endeavor.
Change Management, Learning and Communication components of ERP implementations form a “three-legged stool,” and no one component can stand without the others. The interconnected and cross-leveraged deliverables of change, learning, and communications only underscore the necessity for broad thinking about organizational readiness. Here are four examples to illustrate this:
Example 1: Leaders may underestimate the challenge of implementing ERP, viewing it as just another package. Some stakeholders may see little value in adopting the new system or overlook its profound effect on their organization. It is the job of change management to educate the leadership as a first step during the project, such that sufficient funds, organizational recourses and time is allocated to learning activities and building the right capabilities for sustaining it.
Example 2: An early step in change management is assessing the organization’s readiness for adopting and assimilating the change. Two of the key factors measured are individuals’ perceptions about learning activities within their organization, and their attitudes towards learning to use new systems. The output from these drive the communications about learning, as well as the pace and blend of the learning program.Example 3: An ‘organizational impact assessment’ is typically carried out during the Design stage by the change management team, its goal is to determine the job impacts resulting from the new processes and procedures, as well as the interventions required to support the transition of the workforce. These interventions typically include management action plans that must be stewarded by the change management team, as well as communications and learning goals for the affected job roles, that will eventually shape the learning curriculum.
Example 4: Finally; any ERP trainer who has been through the experience of trying to deliver a class to individuals who do not understand the need for the transformation, or how it is impacting their organization and jobs; knows that appropriate and timely change communication is an important prerequisite for any systems training activity.
The leading organizations who understand the importance of the people aspects of business transformation, profoundly appreciate the value of an integrated approach to change, communications and learning by their vendor partners. This provides a golden opportunity to differentiate from the rest of the flock, for the few consulting firms who have the breadth and scale to provide these services under one roof, to go to the market and present their Org. Readiness offerings as integrated and holistic solutions, rather than a set of competing or incompatible add-ons.
