So close to the holidays, it’s hard to ignore how important genuine connection and a sense of unity are to us as humans, whatever situation we may find ourselves in. Fostering a sense of unity within a project is like tuning an orchestra before a grand performance. Each instrument, representing different project stakeholders, contributes its unique sound, but it's the harmonious blend and synchronization that create a symphony of success, captivating the audience and ensuring a standing ovation for the entire ensemble.
Similar to an orchestral performance, SAP transformation projects require a huge amount of synchronization, collaboration, and let's face it - empathy and patience with each other, especially during trying times. Therefore, creating a sense of unity and identification within this context is not merely a soft factor but a strategic imperative that profoundly influences the success of the implementation in general as well as final user adoption. Establishing a collective identity within a transformation project cultivates a shared understanding of project goals, instills a sense of ownership among team members, and creates a cohesive environment where individuals feel connected to the transformative journey. This collective commitment not only enhances communication and collaboration but also propels the project towards successful implementation by ensuring widespread acceptance and engagement with the SAP system among end users.
This blog post aims to highlight some measures you can take to start building a sense of unity and identification within your transformation projects from the perspective of an Organizational Change Management consultant.
Fostering Unity and Identification in SAP Transformation Projects: A Catalyst for Success
As an organizational change management expert in the context of SAP consulting, we usually have one major goal: to establish and strengthen user adoption of implemented software solutions in the long term and thus ensure our customers' ongoing success. This goal is important and guides everything we do, but many factors have to work well to even get this far in the first place. The solutions must offer the end users a concrete benefit which they must also be aware of. For this to be the case, solutions and processes must be coordinated with and validated by the respective business departments, for which in turn an awareness of the need for transformation and a willingness to cooperate must be created. This in turn requires time and resources to be freed up for cooperation. This list of requirements could go on forever and is a symbol of how much effort and energy must be put into such a transformation project by all parties involved, without even mentioning the technical implementation itself.
These high demands on the project team and the business users cost energy and nerves, which are present to varying degrees depending on the project phase or the demands of day-to-day business over the course of the project. Challenging phases in particular, such as testing or even a go-live, often fray nerves and reduce the patience and empathy of all those involved. In the worst case, this can lead to a higher risk of conflict, poor communication and a problem- versus solution-oriented approach.
One effective countermeasure to stakeholders losing patience and becoming unwilling to collaborate with one another that I have learned to love is giving them a chance to not only learn to identify with one another, but also with the project itself. It's a lot harder to stay annoyed with a colleague if you've gotten to know them personally, identify with them as a real person (instead of some faceless name in another team) and understand their goals and wishes - and it's the same with your project itself.
Some of the benefits you can expect from creating a sense of unity and identification within your transformation project could include
- Enhanced User Adoption: A cohesive and unified environment contributes to increased user adoption rates. When end users identify with the goals and objectives of the SAP transformation project because they have been involved throughout the program, informed properly and given the chance to contribute their feedback, they are more likely to embrace the changes, exhibit a positive attitude towards new technologies, and actively participate in information and enablement programs such as roadshows or training. This, in turn, accelerates the realization of project benefits and ROI.
- Improved Communication and Collaboration: A sense of unity fosters open communication and collaboration among project stakeholders. A shared sense of purpose as well as of familiarity with one another enables team members and end users to articulate their concerns, share insights, and collectively address challenges more openly. This collaborative spirit enhances problem-solving capabilities and ensures that the project team remains responsive to evolving user needs throughout the implementation process.
- Increased Project Efficiency: Project unity and identification streamline project processes and reduce friction. When stakeholders feel connected to the project's mission, they are more likely to align and focus their efforts in the sense of the project. This shared commitment minimizes resistance to change and facilitates a smoother transition to the new SAP system, ultimately expediting the project timeline.
Which measures can you take to get there?
- Establish Clear Project Goals and Vision: Clearly define and communicate the goals and vision of the SAP transformation project with a well-crafted change story that meets the reader where they stand. Ensure that stakeholders, including end users and the project team, understand the overarching purpose and benefits of the initiative. Map the messaging to their respective communication needs and show them what is and is not in it for them (yes, I am also a big fan of being transparent when a solution might NOT have a direct benefit for an individual, but you can always take it a level higher and show how e.g. the company's benefit might benefit them in the long run!). This shared understanding and clarity provides a common ground for unity, as everyone aims to achieve the same goals and thus pulls in one direction.
- Invest In Great Storytelling: Storytelling makes everything more engaging and interesting - especially if the story is related to yourself! Therefore, once you have identified your key messages and target audiences, make sure to choose a tailored and compelling imagery with which to convey your information. Doing a Cloud transformation - How about some rocket or airplane imagery? Maybe your customer focuses on hiking gear - why not make it a mountain treck? By marketing your transformation project correctly and creating brand recognition, you automatically make it stand out among the dozens of other projects that are probably going on at the same time and thus help it stay in people's minds. One communication asset I love for this purpose are personas - use them to convey insights within trainings and communication material in an understandable, personal and fun manner ("The adventures or Fiona Financial Planner" sound a lot more fun than "Finance Change Impact Analysis Results", doesn't it?). Of course, speaking your target audience's language is imperative in this case - stay away from highly generalized terms, use the business's vocabulary and make sure to validate your communication assets with business users from the respective target group to make sure you've created interesting, correct and understandable content that brings real benefit to them. If your target audience feels seen, understood, and spoken to, they automatically identify with your project more - even more so if it's fun for them!
- Create Ample Opportunities for Socializing: Wherever possible, set up social events for your project team as well as for your affected end users. Of course, company paid events are always the biggest hit, but starting small by organizing optional team dinners or a game of football in the evening during onsite project weeks are already great opportunities to get to know one another, mix among the different teams, bring end users along on the journey, exchange informally and build lasting relationships. These relationships can make a huge difference during stressful project phases and end users will be much more willing to accept an ambiguous phase or openly share feedback or concerns when they trust the people within the project due to having gotten to know them personally.
- Early & Continuous Stakeholder Involvement: Involve stakeholders at every stage of the project, from planning to execution. Solicit input from end users wherever possible, gather feedback from the project team, and incorporate their diverse perspectives into your decision-making processes. This inclusive approach fosters a sense of ownership and shared responsibility and gives involved participants the feeling of being heard and understood - especially when your results reflect the knowledge and opinions they took the time to share with you. Within SAP transformation projects, we like to use our Deep Transformation Insights service for this purpose, but interviews, fireside chats, Q&A sessions - any kind of direct engagement is a great chance to get your stakeholders involved and give them a chance to identify with the project and your project team.
- Build a Change Agent Network: Especially in larger transformations, getting in touch with all the different stakeholder groups personally can be a challenge. For this reason, it can be a great measure to build a change agent community with business users within the respective areas, who can act as spokespeople for your transformation but also as first points of contact for their colleagues. Involving their colleagues as official project members makes the project seem less far away and ensures that the business's and end users' voices are heard and scaled throughout the transformation.
- Invest in Enablement and Skill Development: Empower end users through comprehensive training programs and interactive enablement events. Provide opportunities for skill development and offer continuous support as users adapt to the new SAP system. Ideally, make it as fun and hands-on as possible to allow end users to ask questions, think things through and get to know their trainers. This investment demonstrates the organization's commitment to enhancing individual capabilities and fosters a collective sense of competence, but it also allows people to learn whom they might approach with questions and concerns throughout the transformation and beyond.
- Recognition and Celebration of Achievements: Acknowledge and celebrate milestones and achievements throughout the project. Recognize the contributions of individual team members and the collective efforts of the entire project and business community. Openly share business users' support in workshops etc. with their management in order to make it worth their while or send little thank you gifts or a video message from their management to the end users after a successful go-live with a little message from your project. This not only boosts morale but reinforces a shared sense of accomplishment and progress.
In conclusion, the creation of unity and identification within SAP transformation projects is indispensable for achieving optimal outcomes. By recognizing the significance of a shared identity among stakeholders, organizations can harness the collective power of their teams and end users to navigate the complexities of change successfully. Implementing the suggested measures will not only help you instill a sense of unity but also contribute to the long-term success and sustainability of your (SAP) transformation initiatives.
Which kinds of measures have you found effective for building a sense of belonging and identification within your projects? Share them in the comments below!
This blog is part of the blogging challenge #beyondadoption here in the SAP Training and Change Management Community Group.
#beyondadoption #unity #deeptransformationinsights #identification #useradoption
- SAP Managed Tags:
1 Comment
