“I am always ready to learn although I do not always like being taught.” Winston Churchill
Importance of Effective ERP Leadership
Effective ERP leadership is of utmost importance within the context of successful enterprise resource planning (ERP) organizational change. Project plans, IT systems, ERP software, organizational communication, and many more factors are all critical. But, effective leadership needs to guide the entire ERP organizational change effort. Leadership’s role in successful ERP organizational change is undeniable. At Nestell & Associates (N&A), our hope is that we can convince organizations just how critical a role leadership and organizational culture play in successful ERP organizational change. Studying leadership as practitioners and researchers, we know that leaders develop by thinking outside the box and allowing themselves to be put in productive but uncomfortable positions and learning experiences. Despite some success notches in their belts, good organizational leaders appreciate having their mindset, views, opinions, and perspectives challenged. And, good leaders understand that their leadership success in one context does not guarantee success in another context. Good leaders bring value to companies, and those around them, through their own professional development, focusing on healthy corporate culture and exemplifying leadership even, and especially, in difficult situations. Good leaders take the time to understand before being understood.
Understanding Leadership Styles and Perspectives
We all know that organizational team members (even within your organization) discuss leadership all the time. Employees discuss what they like and what they don’t like with their organizational leadership. Most of us have all been in organizations where through anecdotal experience and observation we formed perspectives, ideas, and opinions about what makes “good” leaders and what makes “bad” leaders. These perspectives may be wrong, or they may be right. But what does make a good leader? It is helpful for leaders to understand the different “lenses” of leadership so as to use that insight as a productive, meaningful, practical, and genuine tool.
Aligning Leadership Styles with Organizational Change Goals
Perhaps some organizational leadership styles (in a given context) may not be conducive to successful ERP organizational change. If that is the case, wouldn’t it be nice to know prior to the expenditure of significant time, money, and effort? At Nestell & Associates, we understand and appreciate that effective ERP leadership can be complex and that there are many variables in terms of leadership styles, traits, attributes, mindsets, and context. Bolman and Deal (2014) describe how understanding the varying perspectives, and mindsets, for viewing not only leadership but the context and process of being a leader is an important idea when trying to understand effective leadership.
Practicing and Implementing Effective ERP Leadership
Improving your leadership skills means truly understanding and acknowledging your own style. Improving leadership also means understanding some leadership theories and then implementing them in practice. However, leadership based on theory is one thing. But, to actually have, and effectively utilize, the leadership theory and skills in practice, it takes intentional and deliberate practice, reflection, experience, and sometimes trial and error learning through the “school of hard knocks.
”The overall goal of leadership, both in theory and practice, is to “advance our understanding of the many different approaches to leadership and ways to practice it more effectively” (Northouse, 2016, p. xviii).
Contact Nestell & Associates – Nestell & Associates is a strategy and management firm. We are one of the only organizational change and ERP strategy management firms that are heavily focused on private equity. Our niche is organizational change, organizational readiness, and digital transformation success.
Our fundamental goals are to promote, connect and foster relationships in the ERP organizational Change community, Contribute to the field of ERP organizational change and bring research and practice closer together
