How is ERP fun?
Selecting and implementing a new ERP software for your company could be challenging, difficult, stressful, expensive — and none of these adjectives is fun.
That’s usually the case. But with SAP, who’s stopping you from stumbling into a few pleasant surprises and discovering a few nice things about yourself and your organization?
Normally, making that shift to an ERP system from your old one is disruptive. You have to stop the current work you’re on to accommodate the changes that will be made.
And while you might be open to this temporary disruption because you see its long-term benefits, your colleagues may not. So do not discount the possibility of hearing some grumbling in and around your workspace.
But did you know that you could actually have fun while at it? Get used to these light moments. After all, once the ERP implementation is complete, you’ll be having a lot of quality time yourself. Your REAL work time will be spent, not anymore on menial, repetitive, non-stimulating tasks, but on analyzing information and growing the business.
Isn’t that fun?
Rick Platz, an organizational change manager, has made a few suggestions on how to make this otherwise testy period in your organization to a fun one, fostering teamwork and camaraderie among your people.
Hold a contest on project branding. Don’t quite know what you call the project or how to address it? Ask others’ opinion — and give a prize for the best one!
Hold a team-building activity. The interdependence that will be fostered and emphasized by the ERP project is best shown by how the various groups of the organization know their roles and how they relate to all others.
Celebrate small victories. The implementation takes a lot of time and its completion is not a single-moment victory. Instead, recognize milestones in the project, tell your group of its impact to the whole.
Recognize individual contributions. This is a good time to boost employee morale and make them feel that they have contributed to the organization. Who are most engaged? Who believe most in its benefits and make the effort to tell others about them? These people are gems because instead of complaining and slacking off, they keep everybody’s spirits high.
Conduct info campaigns. It is likely that not everybody appreciates what the disruption is for. This may be a good time for the organization’s leaders to be visible, go around and tell employees how this change is going to affect business, and help them realize their objectives and goals, vision and mission.
ERP is not just an IT issue. It is a management issue and managers and executives have to be there to inspire their people into realizing what the entire ERP project is for.