Organization Change Management

Click here to print PDF file

Organizational Change Management (OCM) has always played an important role in successful implementations of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications. Today, OCM can be decisive in helping organizations change faster, more decisively and more meaningfully than their competitors. That is far easier written than done, of course, but it is a starting point we can all agree upon. In this tough business environment, the imperative for change must not be denied; in fact, it must be embraced.

While OCM has always been considered an important success factor for ERP, given today’s economy, perhaps it should be thought of as much more: a critical factor in long-term business success.

Our Approach to Change Management

At Thomas Group, we know that effective organizational change management is a three-tiered initiative. Installing a new enterprise resource management application (technology) by itself is not enough. Actively involving employees in a change program with built-in incentives for change by itself is not enough. Defining new business processes that can transform the organization by itself is not enough. Organization change management includes all three; it is about aligning people, processes, and technology with enterprise strategy and vision to achieve business transformation.

Thomas Group’s organizational change management professionals help organizations successfully create and foster a culture for positive change. We partner with clients to develop an approach that expedites the change process while minimizing business disruption; resulting in a fast return on investment.

Although ERP implementations provide significant benefits to organizations, they can create the following organizational challenges:

  • Eliminated processes
  • Re-engineered processes and workflows
  • Changes to employee roles and responsibilities

To assist Thomas Group clients as they navigate their way through these organizational complexities, we offer the following ERP organizational change management services:

  • Organizational Readiness Assessment
  • Organizational Design and Development
  • Training Needs Analysis
  • Training Delivery and Follow-up
  • Communications Planning and Execution

How Thomas Group Can Help

Here are just a few first steps you can take as you plan for a successful ERP implementation:

  1. List the business processes your organization follows today in its various units and businesses. Document them in as much detail as possible.
  2. Thinking about your business top-down, list stakeholders and change agents in each location. Doing so will enable you to make certain your support for change is at a grass-roots level and wide-spread enough to support a successful implementation.
  3. Define performance metrics for each business unit within the enterprise. Make certain the metrics tie back to your business case and high-level strategies and your overall mission. Doing so will ensure ERP is implemented in ways that will register the performance metrics.
  4. Before implementing ERP, define performance targets to see how ERP can augment your business. After ERP implementation, check those performance targets and make sure your business is moving the needle on those metrics.
  5. Make certain that your ERP implementation team has SMEs and long-time employees who understand business operations at a deep level. Make sure every location is represented by both SMEs and wise elders.
  6. Develop a change management, communications, and training program that helps employees deal with the various ways their jobs will be affected by the ERP implementation.

At Thomas Group, we use our proven process value management methodology that provides a comprehensive combination of solutions, including:

  • Strategy implementation
  • Goal setting
  • New business model execution
  • Organization alignment
  • Process renovation
  • Cultural change acceleration
  • Resource productivity planning
  • Organization change management implementation (OCM)
  • Strategic destiny through leadership training and development

Thomas Group’s change management methodology implements a common platform of technology, process, and human resources resulting in accelerated change in your company that can lead to success despite tough economic times.

Let Thomas Group help you realize your potential by implementing Breakthrough Performance with Organizational Change Management.