Implementation of a corporate erp system

Implementing an erp system in the organization. Important highlights and possible problems

Over the past few years, the growing need for one large computer system to manage all the needs of the various departments of large organizations has become evident. This need stems from the importance of efficiency, order and the great savings that these systems contribute to organizations. The larger and more branched the organization, the greater its need for such a system. However, one of the most significant problems, if not the biggest of them all, lies in the conflict between the organization's management's desire to optimize processes and strive to save the company's resources, and the company's employees' perception of such moves as a threat to the personnel situation in the organization, and in the current working conditions, according to their perception, may even lead to a move Widespread dismissal.

When you add to this the sweeping change in the work routine and the new procedures that the organization's employees are required to assimilate and get used to quickly, a change that often entails frustration resulting from the employee's need to relearn new software and work systems, and at the same time to say goodbye to known and recognized work habits, which naturally slows down the pace of work , and deepens the feeling of frustration, at the end of the process, a level of motivation that aspires to zero is obtained on the part of the employees in absorbing the new system.

conclusions

From this it can be learned and concluded that alongside the need to introduce such a computer system into the organization, it is necessary to prepare well for this move, which is perceived in many cases as a step that dramatically affects the entire organization, and it goes without saying that the successful implementation of the new system in a minimal amount of time depends considerably on the degree of cooperation on the part of the relevant employees of the organization. If so - how can it be made so that the employees who, as mentioned, are not enthusiastic to say the least about this change, will be useful to cooperate and continue the current work despite the difficulty arising from that change?

Experience shows that in cases where a fundamental change is evident in the organization, the level of cooperation on the part of the organization's employees is directly proportional to the level of transparency, honesty, and fairness of the organization's management towards the employees. Thus, it is to be expected that the employees will be updated in real time on the schedules built by the management for the purpose of absorbing the new system, as well as explanations and workshops that will prepare the relevant employees for this change. But transparency and honesty alone are not enough. It is very advisable to try to allay as much as possible the fears of the employees about the future move, to allow them to say openly and freely what is on their hearts, as well as to take care of adequate training and practice how to work on the new system, before they are required to use it in their work.

What else should be taken into account?

Apart from the cooperation of the employees in the organization, it should be taken into account that close to the absorption of the new system, it is very possible that the work outputs will decrease in all the departments where the change was made, due to the time it takes to assimilate the new work habits. This is of course a decrease in order to increase, and still, the acclimatization period of the system should be taken into account. Also, it should be expected that certain processes in the new system were not perfectly adjusted in advance to the specific needs of the organization, and therefore malfunctions may arise due to this lack of adjustment. That is why it is very important that the first acclimatization period of the system be accompanied by instructors and implementers who will be able to help the employees with any problem or malfunction that may arise. All malfunctions must be concentrated and dealt with according to their degree of severity and their effect on the normality of the work process.