5 Ways to Maximize Change Communication During ERP Implementations image

5 Ways to Maximize Change Communication During ERP Implementations

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By their nature, ERP implementations are big, complex and business-critical. They’re exactly the type of project where we should prioritize communication to help prepare leaders and employees. Yet communication during an ERP implementation is often too infrequent or vague to help prepare leaders and employees for the changes ahead.

Seasoned change communicators zero in on practical opportunities to build awareness and understanding of what’s changing and why among impacted leaders and employees. Here are 5 tried-and-tested ways we look to maximize change communication efforts during an ERP implementation.

1. Communicate consistently even when there’s ambiguity

Imagine your employee asks a question…and you respond with a blank email. Similarly, if we’re not sharing information during an ERP implementation, that’s still a form of communication (and we probably will not like the signals being sent).

Leaders and employees understand the complexity of big IT projects. They prefer a regular drumbeat on what’s known and what decisions and changes are outstanding to project radio silence. As an added benefit, ongoing, transparent communication also builds the credibility of project and organizational leadership.

Try this:
• With project leaders, emphasize the value of ongoing communication in building trust, minimizing anxiety and preparing the organization for the changes.
• Be upfront with employees when information is confirmed and when decisions are yet to be made. They’ll understand it’s a complex and fast-moving project.
• Center your communication on project key milestones like solution design workshops or User Acceptance Testing kick off. Use these as your anchors for communication planning and outreach to impacted leaders and employees.

2.Find — and describe– tangible examples of what will be different

Start talking about ERP solutions and watch employees’ eyes glaze over. Describe a tangible example of what will be different and you may see a few head nods. Examples, especially those that call out a benefit, can accelerate employees’ understanding of what will be different with the ERP implementation, why we’re doing it and, importantly, how it will impact them.

Try this:
• Unearth tangible examples of what’s changing by checking in with the Change team for an impact assessment. This will detail what’s changing due to the ERP implementation and the specific impacts on employees. As an alternative, contact the Business Process Owners or business leads on the project and ask for specific examples of what’s changing.
• Embed tangible examples in the big picture change story you share with employees. Where possible, link these examples to the strategic objectives of the project. For example, if an organizational goal is to improve efficiency and the new system will whittle an 8-day billing process down to six hours, include these memorable numbers.

3.Identify and reach your End Users
In an ERP implementation, End Users are typically defined as doers who will directly use the new system and viewers who may not be interacting with the new system but will need to view reports and access data generated by the new system. End Users are a must-reach audience for ongoing communication. Extend this thinking and you’ll see the need to bring the managers of End Users on board too.

Try this:
• To identify your End Users, check in with the Change team or Training Lead. Has the Change team created an End User Analysis? Has the Training team worked with the business to understand which End Users will require training?
• To reach End Users, leverage existing communication channels like department meetings and senior leader messaging.
• Create opportunities for End User-specific messaging such as targeted emails at key points of the project, team Lunch and Learns or manager support materials to be disseminated to their teams.

4.Encourage realistic feedback and collaboration
Find opportunities for two-way communication and encourage employee involvement. Employees will be more likely to adopt a change when they feel they’ve been part of the process. But keep in mind that there’s not always the time, or the appetite, to gather and act on all employee perspectives so be realistic about how much of the employee voice you’ll be able to hear.

Try this:
• In developing surveys, focus groups and other check-ins with employees, ask only the questions that the project will act on. If feedback can or will not be used, don’t ask for it.
• Where decisions on changes have been made, consider asking for input on how to implement them (rather than what is being implemented).
• Collect and address employee questions in FAQs or other communications.

5.Empathize and acknowledge the impact of change
Leaders may fear that acknowledging impacts will slow down acceptance and adoption. Our experience is the opposite. The appropriate level of empathetic management can speed up rather than slow down adoption of new ways of working. An ERP implementation is rarely just about changing a button. Think of how often many of us resist a phone or computer upgrade and then it’s easier to empathize with users who will need to use a brand-new ERP system and maybe follow updated underlying work processes too. As communicators we can step into the shoes of impacted employees and acknowledge that change can be unsettling and stressful for employees.

Try this:
• Acknowledge the impact of change in communications from leaders and others. Empathizing with employees’ concerns can help build trust and create a sense of support.
• Advise leaders and project members that their comfort level with the changes may be different than employees. Others may be at an earlier stage of understanding and absorbing the changes or have anxiety around new technology.
• In support materials such as FAQs, prepare people managers to demonstrate empathy and acknowledge different reactions to the change.
• Be transparent about the reasons for the changes and the benefits they will bring to the organization.
• Provide change leadership training to your managers so they can learn and practice having conversations with team members where emotions are high

If you are looking for additional support around change communication, connect with us.