Spark revolution, not war! Before you start shaking things up in a company, it’s important to help employees understand the benefits of the digital transformation that will accompany the deployment of an ERP. Implementing this type of software in an organization requires a carefully planned change management process so the entire company can move in the same direction.
To address any resistance you may encounter, your company’s choice of ERP and deployment plan has to be strategic. Here are some tips on how to manage change calmly and effectively in your organization.
An ERP That Improves Structure,
But Also Adapts to Your Processes and Employees
History has shown that the most significant revolutions have not been the most radical. As we have seen, an ERP plays a major role in a company’s digital transformation.
However, integrating management software should never create a radical break within the organization. Like any new member of a team, it’s up to the ERP to fit into the company’s dynamics before gradually adding value. An ERP service provider can help facilitate this integration.
So before implementing an integrated management software suite in your organization, it’s essential to “market” the project. You need to let employees know that changes to internal processes are coming and that they’ll be involved in redesigning them. Information and involvement are the keys to success.
If you don’t communicate and end up running your ERP project on your own, there’s a good chance you’ll also be the only one using it. ERP can sometimes be seen as a kind of “Big Brother” that monitors everything employees do, or as a robot that will replace them and lead to job losses. That’s not the impression you want to create.
To get off to a strong start, the ERP first has to fulfil its role as a data hub and facilitator of information exchange. Employees should see the ERP as a practical tool designed to optimize their performance, not as a bad omen that will disrupt their current workflows. That’s why a smooth integration includes actively involving employees in the dynamics of organizational transformation.
An ERP That Smoothly Supports the Radical Changes Brought by Digitization
To address employee resistance to change in the face of digital transformation, you need to work on the barriers that are holding them back. At this stage, communication should focus more on business and management issues, and less on technical explanations about implementing IT solutions. Employees need to feel involved. And to get involved, they need to feel motivated!
To find a motivating message that will really resonate with your teams, you can use Victor Vroom’s Valence / Instrumentality / Expectancy framework (1964). Of course, you’ll need to adapt it to your own context.
For example, having an ERP will give the sales team visibility into, and traceability of, their actions. This will help them properly assess their chances of success in their projects (Expectancy).
Then, with the CRM integrated into the ERP, they will have an effective solution to keep them constantly up to date with prospect follow-ups and provide relevant data on the people to contact, ultimately maximizing their chances of closing sales.
Their sales success will enable them to increase their commissions (Instrumentality). In addition, the features offered by an ERP will give employees more value in their work (Valence), by automating menial and time-consuming tasks.
Although digitization somewhat implies delegating part of the company’s management to software, the employee must remain at the heart of digital transformation priorities. Management and employees are not just witnesses to the transformation, they are the main actors. By integrating new technologies and new market requirements, businesses are reinventing themselves—literally transforming the company.
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