When we began doing business in 1952, we sold and serviced typewriters to the business community. Back then, we were known as All Makes Typewriters. If we had stayed the same business with the same technology, it’s clear that we would not be around today. Instead, we’ve constantly reinvented our business to evolve into Premier Computing. The rapid pace of today’s technology requires businesses to be more agile and adopt newer technology at a faster pace. We pride ourselves on our ability to adapt and change, shifting from typewriters to smart phones, networking and cloud processing. Through our history and through the experience of implementing more than 400 ERP solutions throughout the United States, we’ve learned one of the most important strategies your business needs to include when implementing new software.

Adopt new culture when you adopt new software

We’re in the business of implementing ERP solutions: Enterprise Resource Planning software used to manage business processes and integrate all areas of a company. When an organization works with us, they’re choosing software that runs their day-to-day business. You might imagine it’s a little bit like swapping out the engine of a plane while in the air, flying!

Do you think there’s a company culture tied into the software or processes they’re replacing?

You bet!

Do you think it’s possible to change that culture before implementing the new software?

You bet!

You can achieve this by including your workforce in the change. When they are an active part of implementation and innovation, they become invested in the new solution.

We’ve worked with organizations where their new ERP system is going to be some sort of quick fix for certain business problems, at least, in the eyes of the users. They don’t understand—because they’re not a part of the change where they can see and experience it first hand—that the goal of the implementation is to achieve greater transparency, agility, and growth. It’s not a quick fix, but a systemic improvement.

Adopting new culture won’t happen with a kick-off meeting and a few user training sessions either.

Harvard Business Review put it this way: “For organizations seeking to become more adaptive and innovative, culture change is often the most challenging part of the transformation.”

It’s not an easy strategy to include in your plans, but don’t get discouraged! The effort is worth it when you see the success it brings.

Begin by putting your strategy in words. We can help you assess your current technology and create a roadmap with you. Then, communicate that to your workforce. It’s important that from your leadership to your interns, everyone is fully on board. Finally, include education as you go. For some employees, they’ll jump in and adopt new technology quickly, but others will need some hand holding. Find the right balance to bring every individual with you into your new culture as well as your new software world.

We’d love to help you throughout this process as well. Give us a call!