ERP Competition
We recently had a PE portfolio executive ask us about competition within the practice of ERP organizational change. So, we just wanted to share a few notes on that topic. But we just don’t see it that way at all (i.e. as competition). (Sure, we feel we have differentiators within our team and our approach to our practice, but the organization/portfolio certainly should just pick a partner that they feel most comfortable with).
A Unified Front
Whether it is other ERP consulting firms, ERP websites/bloggers, ERP magazines, or ERP software vendors, we think the right way to view it (specifically as fellow ERP organizational change practitioners) is that we are all on the same team. Aren’t we all in it for the success of the organization? This means that first and foremost, as fellow ERP organizational change practitioners (i.e. ERP consultants), our job is to 1) objectively find that “one best ERP solution fit” for every organization (I think we all would agree how critical this is) and 2) implement that solution to the best of our knowledge, skill-set, and experience.
Embracing the Challenge
First, when it comes to successful ERP organizational change, there’s plenty of work to go around for the “boots on the ground” ERP organizational change practitioner. Why? Because successful ERP organization change is important to businesses and because the value of ERP is understood. Second, the primary focus and mission in our practice should be ERP organizational change sharing, learning, and education (please refer to previous posts). If we do that, secondary objectives will be met by our firm or any other firm. So, no, we really don’t have competition…..we have friends, colleagues, and other ERP consulting firms that we want to share with.
A Collective Effort
The practice of ERP organizational change itself is not a competition. Practitioners, researchers, vendors, end-users, and resellers all have something to bring to the table. The big guys, the little guys, the ERP vendor CEOs, and the boots on the ground practitioners that work countless hours to ensure organizational success.
Gratitude and Collaboration
I know that we are grateful to have met with and work with (daily) ERP organizational change practitioners, ERP vendor executives and their teams, ERP researchers, organizational culture scholars, and ERP end-users. We love to talk about current and new ways of approaching all things ERP organizational change. We are not stuck in a mindset that there will always be just one way of doing things or that there is one perfect template that can be applied across every unique organization. We all know the value of effective business systems and anyone in the field (especially “boots on the ground”) knows how challenging it can be and that each organization has very unique challenges. We are here to report out and talk about how excited we are about organizational success, improvements in our practice of ERP consulting, as well as the future of ERP. We have some colleagues doing some interesting work in the field, and we’ll be sharing out every step along the way.
Acknowledging Healthy Competition
Oh, and of course there is great competition between the actual ERP software vendors. That helps inspire creativity and innovation. This helps ensure that the success of ERP organizational change will continue to improve for the benefit of your organization! In fact, we believe that the next generation of ERP solutions and leveraging emerging technology is extremely exciting! But, each and every ERP vendor is different in so many ways….and not just technically or functionally. And, it is so important that each organization looking to implement ERP doesn’t make assumptions and really takes the time to find that one best fit. Purchasing an ERP because a salesperson convinced you on a phone call, or because another firm uses a specific ERP, or because your best friend convinced you, or….……these are just not good ERP selection reasons. The ERP vendor space is very competitive, and the organization owes it to themselves to find that best fit. ERP consulting professionals bring organization value by taking this point quite seriously.
Vendor-Neutral Perspective
We view ERP organizational change more as an opportunity to share, learn, and teach. As many of our ERP practitioner colleagues, we are and always will be vendor-neutral. We are not a partner or value-added reseller of any ERP vendor. That’s, of course, not taking anything away from great ERP solutions and certified partners. Obviously, we work closely with ERP vendors and ERP specific subject matter experts. It just means that we greatly value the ERP selection process and we know that proper ERP selection can be a critical success factor. To emphasize, we think ERP software vendors have pros and cons and real differentiators that they bring and advertise to the market. We believe each organization is unique, we believe each ERP software solution is unique. And, we are ERP practitioners that help organizations find the best people, process, and technology fit. We enjoy discussing war stories, success stories, research, and lessons learned. We have great relationships with ERP vendors but it doesn’t mean that they are a good fit for your organization. Let’s follow an objective process and have that organizational process determine the best fit.
Connect with Us: Anytime you want to share our passion and what drives us, ERP consulting success, please reach out.
Learn more about ERP collaborative learning on the “ERP Organizational Change Journal” podcast.
An interesting article on business competition: “The Power of Healthy Competition in Business Relationships“