Common ERP Organizational Change Management Challenges and Mistakes

When I'm speaking with executives at our clients, one of the most common things I hear is: "our people are ready for change, so organizational change management isn't going to be an issue for us." This is one of the most challenging perceptions to overcome.

Employees may be tired of the old legacy systems and broken business processes, but change management may not seem difficult on the surface, but it is and will be. Not because people don't want to support the transformation, but because it will be more difficult than they think. This is why a proactive organizational change management strategy and plan is so important.

This video covers the most common pitfalls of organizational change management during ERP implementations and digital transformation. Whether your are implementing SAP S/4HANA, Oracle ERP Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365, NetSuite, or any other ERP system, this video will help you recognize and navigate some of the most common organizational change management challenges, pitfalls, and mistakes.

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[AlexAshbel]

I really liked the reference to sand in the gas tank. If you think about it, change management is in a way the one to dispose the sand, Prevent it from getting in, learn how to refrain from getting it in the future and collaborate with people to articulate and train why sand is bad for your gas tank and how to achieve best performance from your vehicle.

[deolaakande]

Thanks Eric. Great content. These are all valid mistakes that organizations experience, also because they mostly pay lip service to OCM without giving full support to it.

[federicamarchesini]

Thank you Eric, this is great content and an accurate, well articulated insight on common challenges change managers face every day.

[yvonnes]

This is good! I have personally seen at least a couple of these pitfalls hurt projects (as a Project Manager). I actually saved a multi-year disaster project my addressing the “resistance to change, ” “software does not fit needs, ” and the team “confusing OCM for training.” By the time I took over, there was a lot of entrenched resistance. It took hard work to get the project on the right track but it succeeded in the end. It’s good for people to keep in mind that if you can identify these pitfalls, it’s possible to turn a project around!

[rmadhiwalla]

I like the way the topics regarding ERP implementation are handled, but putting it in point form with reasoning behind it.

[philpatton]

Great content Eric, I picked up some great ideas. One of the challenges I see in implementations are the "blockers", those staff who don't like or don't want the change for a variety of reasons. A well thought our change management strategy will go a long way in calming the blockers and getting them on side. That said they often lurk in the background and don't make them selves visible. I always keep an eye for these blockers and manage them as best as possible.

[robertmusilli]

A remarkably clear explanation devoid of the corporate speak I expected. I actually understood everything you said which is no small accomplishment these days

[BGorla-bmbi]

Thank you Eric. People often misunderstand the importance of OCM and then they escape from their accountability due to many reasons, The OCM should be replaced with OAM (operational adoptability management)

[MichaelCody]

Excellent video with very real-world insight. Pleased that our organization is working with Third Stage on our own Digital Transformation process.

[rickjames]

Very informative and straight to the point.

[emmanuelosu]

Very insightful as always. Keep up the good work Eric

[Antman_]

our issues were and still are under the iceberg :) that sunk the titanic. (metaphore) . Indeed this is good visual representation.

[robinm]

Another master piece, Eric! I love the executive misalignment, I don't think my executive team has a clear organisational strategy, let alone a clear digital strategy. What are some things you do to facilitate an executive alignment session to clearly define that? Thanks!

[hariharasuthanm]

very insightful on the OCM. Thanks for posting this.

[davidadams]

A true house of horrors that should be on every project's risk register going in!