STORIES & SOLUTIONS FOR THE MODERN BUSINESS USER

By Michael Sponhour, Molly Hood, and Leslie Heilman

Don’t get left behind because of budget constraints and miss the opportunity to make innovative changes that set your business apart. Learn why every business needs enterprise change management, even on a small budget, and the three must haves to help you get there.

When shopping for a car, you rely on your budget to help you make the decision on what to purchase. For example, let’s say you are working with a tight budget. Do you go out and buy a Tesla or a Toyota?
Many mid-size organizations face the same predicament when developing their enterprise change management capability. Just like the family that needs a reliable vehicle and wants to get the most for their money, small to mid-size companies need consistent enterprise change management to help them thrive and survive.

Choosing to move your Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) operations to the cloud is a transformative experience for your organization. Whether you are making this transition to streamline business processes, prepare for an acquisition, or to simplify operations, your transformation is as much about people, behaviors, and how you work as it is about the technology.

As consultants, we build relationships with business leaders, provide the tools needed for effective change, and conduct ourselves in the most professional manner possible. We lead by example and treat others with respect and patience, building collaborative relationships that foster the trust business leaders need to achieve their objectives. In order to be successful, it is important for our business partners to lead by example and commit to helping us build the collaborative relationships needed for a successful transition.

Organizations that incorporate change agility as a competency in their transformation programs or leadership development have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The more your people know how they react to change, the faster they can adapt to change, the quicker you can get to market, execute strategies, and realize the return on investment of critical business strategies and initiatives.

Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z are working side-by-side, each bringing unique strengths, experiences, and expectations to the workplace. Along with opportunity, there are also new challenges with four generations working side-by-side. Getting the groups to work together efficiently is a key challenge for many organizations, and as technology advances, employees of all ages will need to be equipped with new and refined skills to stay current – and that requires the ability to manage change.

Implementing large scale change can be challenging. Implementing change with a unionized workforce can be daunting if not managed properly. Labor unions carry a tremendous amount of power and can alter the course of a change initiative if not carefully managed. Historically speaking, the relationship between unions and management has always been contentious – especially during contract negotiations. While organizational leaders may find unions difficult, they must remember they are there for a reason. Labor unions ensure their members have fair working conditions, fair wages, benefits and work hours, and a safe place to work. Keeping this in mind, successful change with a unionized workforce requires intentional actions designed to engage and inform while providing a forum for union leaders to participate in the process.

Not too far in the distant past, the economy was going gangbusters. Companies were thriving, the stock market was at the highest of highs, and unemployment at an all-time low. In 2020, this all changed. The COVID-19 pandemic rocked our world.

Navigating change management in any sector presents challenges such as maintaining employee engagement or training and communication. Regardless of sector, the overarching goals of change management are to increase the likelihood of project success and minimize risk and disruption. Implementing change management in the public sector does, however, come with some unique challenges.

“Cloud is not the future – it’s now. It’s an enabling force for business evolution that goes beyond technology, allowing organizations to more efficiently and effectively reengineer the company’s corporate strategy.” -Goodburn & Hill