When your organization is on the cusp of a major change, it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind. However, if you’re moving so quickly that you fail to account for the human aspect of change, even the sleekest software could leave your company behind the mark. 

The consequences of poor change management are no laughing matter. Whether it’s budget overruns, project delays, or minuscule business benefits, your organization will wish it had paid more attention to end-users, managers, and decision-makers.

Today, we’re exploring how change management mistakes can dismantle an ERP implementation and how you can prevent adoption issues. 

What Does Poor Change Management Look Like?

If you have an organizational change management (OCM) plan, you’re ahead of the pack. However, if you have a comprehensive change management strategy that you dedicate resources to throughout the project, you actually have a chance to gain real ground in user adoption.

Here are a few telltale signs that your OCM plan isn’t getting the attention it deserves.

1. Failing to Conduct a Business Readiness Assessment

Taking a general pulse and concluding that everyone in the organization is ready for an ERP implementation, could mean overlooking small pockets of resistance.

Consequence: Early in the project, teams may lack an understanding of how the ERP system will benefit them, leading to misaligned expectations and resistance that grows stronger as the project progresses.

A business readiness assessment is a tool used to understand the scope of change and potential change impacts to individual employees, project sponsors, and the overall organization.

Through this assessment, you might find that the new ERP system will affect certain groups beyond what they can currently handle.

For example, a medical device company might implement a manufacturing ERP system that dramatically changes how their shop floor workers track inventory. Without assessing readiness, project managers might overlook that these workers have limited digital proficiency. A tailored training plan informed by a readiness assessment would be necessary to prevent project delays.

2. Minimal Communication Planning

Deciding to make announcements off-the-cuff could take your employees by surprise. 

Consequence: Employees may misinterpret the change, resulting in rumors, resistance, and decreased morale.

Our change management consultants always recommend communicating project details as early as possible. This means outlining how, where, and when you will convey key messages. 

Ultimately, it’s important to connect all your communication back to the business needs driving the change.

For instance, you could host town halls and create FAQ documents that clarify the purpose of the ERP project and address common concerns. This would build trust and ensure consistent messaging across the organization.

3. Failing to Designate Project Sponsors

If your executive team signed off on the project, and then disappeared into the nethersphere, you will be missing a key player in ERP project success.

Consequence: Without active sponsorship, employees may view the project as unimportant or lacking leadership support, leading to disengagement, resistance, and delays in adoption.

Project sponsorship is a very hands-on effort focused on building a network of support that includes a variety of stakeholders and decision-makers.

If you don’t build a sponsorship roadmap that outlines executives’ roles in project sponsorship, you will have a difficult time securing sponsorship and coaching sponsors to advocate for the change and engage with teams to address resistance. 

For example, a distribution company might ask an executive sponsor to attend meetings with warehouse teams, inventory managers, and logistics coordinators to discuss specific ERP benefits. This would provide the following benefits:

• Demonstrate leadership’s commitment to operational efficiency by showing how the system aligns with the company’s goals of faster delivery times and improved order accuracy.

• Create an open forum for employees to voice concerns or ask questions about how the new system will integrate with existing warehouse management processes or impact inventory tracking.

• Provide employees with a clear understanding of how the ERP system will improve their workflows, such as streamlining inventory replenishment, automating order fulfillment, and reducing errors in shipping documentation.

4. Delaying End-User Training

Conducting end-user training right before go-live not only limits employees’ technical knowledge but their process knowledge, as well.

Another common pitfall is offering generic training that overlooks department-specific needs. 

Consequence: Employees may struggle to perform basic tasks post-go-live, leading to reduced productivity, frustrated staff, and costly disruptions in day-to-day operations.

A tailored training approach—such as hands-on training for warehouse staff on inventory modules—ensures higher engagement and competence.

Effective training is also frequent and ongoing. This helps end-users become comfortable with new ERP software as they try new workflows and learn exactly how their daily responsibilities will be changing.

5. Neglecting Resistance Management

Ignoring resistance can make a prickly problem even worse.

Consequence: Resistance will fester and escalate, potentially leading to passive resistance (such as not attending training), or active resistance (such as refusal to use the system).

We recommend developing a resistance management plan that helps you identify, analyze, and manage all sources of resistance as early as possible.

Typical sources of resistance include:

• Fear of job loss
• Overwhelm from simultaneous changes
• Distrust in leadership
• Confusion about new roles

Engaging employees through focus groups or surveys can uncover these issues early, enabling targeted interventions.

For instance, conducting surveys might reveal that employees believe the new ERP system will lead to layoffs, allowing leadership to address this misconception by sharing data on how the system will improve efficiency and create opportunities for growth.

6. Not Asking for Employee Feedback

Without soliciting employee feedback throughout implementation, you won’t be able to discern what’s working and what’s not.

Consequence: Misaligned workflows or system inefficiencies may persist unchecked, causing frustration and reducing ROI.

Change management is a continuous process. Regularly gathering input allows you to make real-time adjustments, ensuring the ERP system is meeting both organizational objectives and user expectations.

For example, post-training surveys can identify blind spots, like supplemental training needs and process bottlenecks where employees struggle to adapt to new workflows.

Avoid the Consequences of Poor Change Management

The impact of poor change management can ripple through every level of your organization, causing a lack of system proficiency and creating new pockets of resistance.

Our organizational change management consultants can help you craft a tailored OCM strategy to minimize resistance and maximize user adoption. Schedule an ERP consultation today to learn more.