Global Change Management and Training

Discover how Oxford’s team provided trainers to 17 countries within a two-week period.

Originally published November 14, 2019

The Challenge
Our client required a partner to help lead Organizational Change Management (OCM) as part of their global SAP software implementation. The scope required 40,000 users in 60 different countries to simultaneously begin system use without negative impact on the various business units and functions. Regions included Canada, USA, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy, United Kingdom, Austria, Spain, Portugal, China, Japan, Korea, and Thailand. Specific goals of the program included:

• Creation of training and classroom materials to deliver training for over 9,000 end users
• Deployment of global training experts within two weeks, successfully addressing all visa, logistics, budgetary, and travel needs
• Seamless transition of Americas, Europe, and Asia Pacific users to the new system
• Availability of local language resources with localization experience
• Knowledge transfer of training and documents to site-level super users in order to ensure readiness and ancillary training post-go-live

The Solution
We developed a comprehensive OCM Implementation Plan and Training Program in close collaboration with our client. Leveraging our global reach and vast network, we successfully deployed 118 SAP trainers proficient in 14 SAP modules at training locations in 17 countries with 12 different languages within a two-week period. Languages included Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Dutch, French, Flemish, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English. Additional highlights of the solution included:

• Emphasis on a “Train the Trainer” approach for classroom training and workshops delivered to power users globally
• Creating and enhancing uPerform, PowerPoint, and Word training materials
• Developing quick reference guides
• Forward-looking dashboard to help reduce travel costs
• Nine months of post-go-live training and readiness support
• Localization topics supported including Golden Tax, Nota Fiscal, and localization for finance, logistics, and Supply Chain (SCM)
• Support in time zones from GMT-7 to GMT+7 across APAC, EU, and North and South America
• On-site local knowledge transfer

The Result
We delivered specialized resources as needed, as well as all training and materials necessary for a successful, on-time, and on-budget go-live. By using a forward-looking dashboard and scheduling process to deploy local trainers, the client’s expenses for travel were reduced by 50%. We also shielded the client from Visa processes and travel complications involved with using resources at 17 worldwide locations. Our collaborative approach, high-level responsiveness, and close integration with the client’s business unit and power users resulted in our client engaging us further for advanced user training.

Navigating the complex road to an effective OCM strategy can be filled with twists and turns, but it doesn’t have to be impossible to navigate. Reach out to Oxford today to help you with your Organizational Change Management needs.