Implementing a new ERP system isn’t simply a software upgrade, it’s a culture change. It may be messy, emotional, and receive responses from cautious optimism all the way to anxiety and outright resistance. And it is important to understand that resistance does not mean that your team won’t change but, more often than not, that they weren’t part of the change.
In this, we’re going to talk about the human side of ERP implementation, not the theory or learned information but the lessons learnt in the implementation trenches that will make or break the adoption. We will discuss resistance psychology, what creates a stall in an ERP project, and what leaders can do to help reduce the chasm between vision and reality. So if you are seeking to move your organization from resistance to results, then this document is for you.
Why Teams Resist ERP: The Psychology of Pushback
Change is difficult. Even if the change is for the better, it will disrupt routines, move teams outside their comfort zones, and leave employees and teams unsettled. Change is in the name of ERP implementation. This makes it reasonable and even likely to come into resistance to change.
Resistance has four common roots:
- Fear of job loss: Employees fear that a new technology will replace their job.
- Loss of autonomy/consistency: Teams may feel that they are losing control when established processes are changed to a new system.
- Burn out: Introducing a new system when teams are already busy or overloaded can add to employee burnout.
- Previous negative experiences: If team members have had a bad experience with a new technology, they will most probably be resistant.
Grasping the emotional landscape provides organizations with options to exercise empathy instead of simply requesting compliance. The first step in the process is not training, but listening.
What Low ERP Adoption Is Quietly Costing Your Business
When ERP systems aren’t used to their fullest potential, their effects will ripple across the entire business. Constructors find it easy to monetize upfront costs, such as software licenses and consulting; however, it is invalid to consider “adoption” costs as they are more difficult, and typically invisible, but can be detrimental to the business.
Here’s what low adoption actually looks like:
- Teams revert to spreadsheets and emails.
- Data becomes inconsistent and unreliable.
- Tasks take longer due to redundant manual steps.
- Inter-department miscommunication increases.
These inefficiencies erode ROI, frustrate employees, and undermine trust in the value of the ERP investment. Adoption isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s the difference between transforming or failing.
Getting Everyone on the Same Page—Before the System Goes Live
ERP works best as a central nervous system through which departments communicate, but when each department works in isolation and does not share data (money with finance,observation with operations, etc), then silos are created leading to fragmented ERP and information.
To align teams:
- Map cross-function workflows: Identify how tasks flow from area to area.
- Create shared goals: Clarify what ERP does for each team and the business.
- Involve every function early: Involve more than just IT or finance—don’t forget the warehouse or customer service.
The value of using unified ERPs is an operation that is seamless and connected. It’s not just about having every team using the same tool; it’s about having the tools connected together, and the people utilizing those tools connected together as well.
Setting the Stage: Early Buy-In and Collaborative Planning
The sooner you engage with teams, the better. Resistance is all but guaranteed if people feel like a system is being imposed on them. When people feel like they’ve been co-creators, they will embrace the change.
Strategies to engage teams early:
- Include end-users in vendor selection and workflow design.
- Hold discovery workshops where teams can vent about pain points and wishlists.
- Designate an “ERP Champion” from each department, who serves as an advocate and champion.
Buy-in is not a matter of convincing people later on, it is a matter of building together from the beginning.
Say It Like a Human: Making ERP Easy to Understand
Often times ERP rollouts are given grand promises and technical terms. People don’t care about your “real-time data synchronization” unless they see how it improves their work.
Tips for effective communication:
- Use outcomes, not features: “You’re going to spend less time chasing invoices.”
- Show, don’t tell: Show examples of workflows that made redundancies disappear and eliminated email chains.
- Avoid “tech speak”: Instead of “workflow optimization” simply write, “less paperwork, fewer clicks.”
Messaging that is human-centered builds trust, and trust drives adoption.
Training That Actually Sticks: Beyond the Crash Course
Even an intensive two-day training session can’t create confident users! Learning ERP is a journey that takes time, practice, and context.
Real training looks like this:
- Role-based learning paths: Provide training that reflects the role each team must perform.
- Engaging: Simulations or interactive sessions, including quizzes, and open labs keeps people engaged.
- Just-in-time learning: Present quick reference guide and short videos to reference when user get stuck.
- Ongoing collaboration: Regularly scheduled check-ins or open office hours for questions.
When people develop knowledge in a safe space that includes mistakes along the way, retention increases. Continuous learning always outpaces a crash course!
Want Smoother ERP Rollout? Start with a Proven Change Plan
Change management isn’t about pushing people through a new system—it’s about guiding them through a journey. Frameworks give structure to that journey.
Popular models:
- ADKAR: Focuses on individual change through Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.
- Kotter’s 8-Step Process: Begins with creating urgency and ends with anchoring new behaviors in culture.
- Lewin’s Model: Emphasizes the phases of Unfreezing current habits, Changing, and Refreezing new behaviors.
Choose a model that fits your organization’s style, but don’t skip the planning. Without a structured change process, adoption becomes a guessing game.
ERP Isn’t Just Tech—It’s About the People Using It
ERP platforms are powerful—but they don’t solve human challenges. When implementation is tech-led instead of people-led, adoption falters.
Signs of a tech-heavy rollout:
- Limited team input during setup
- Training focused only on features, not daily workflows
- Feedback loops missing or ignored
To re-center people in the process:
- Build empathy into project plans
- Acknowledge that emotions matter
- Create space for honest conversations about concerns
People aren’t resisting the technology—they’re resisting the feeling of being left behind.
Leadership’s Role: Guiding Change, Not Just Announcing It
Leadership is a crucial factor determining how teams think about ERP. By actually using the new tools, personally sharing their own learning curves, and celebrating team wins gives credence to their message.
Leadership strategies:
- Educate through the use of ERP: Show dashboards or reports from the new system during meetings.
- Be transparent regarding the transition: Make challenges normal and show support.
- Celebrate: publicly recognize those that extended themselves or are using the ERP precursors.
Change sticks, when it is done from the top down and fields into all levels.
Are We Really Using the ERP? What the Right Metrics Reveal
You can measure success not only with logins but could you see how the ERP changed behavior for the positive and improved outcomes?
Key metrics you want to look at:
- Completing tasks in the ERP: is the team actually getting the work done in the system?
- Fewer manual workarounds: less use of Excel, shared drive, or email for coordination?
- Better data quality: less errors and consistent data points across systems?
- User feedback: surveys and interviews to get a sense of how people in the teams feel about the tool.
When you can see KPI’s that represent real engagement, you can move on your plans with confidence.
How One Company Got Teams Aligned—and Made ERP Work
Let’s consider a real world example: a mid-sized consumer goods company was rolling out ERP and there was resistance from the warehouse and sales teams. Rather than forced compliance, the company conducted a small pilot in one location and encouraged employees to experiment, feedback and co-create improvements.
Within months:
- Errors in inventory tracking dropped by 35%
- Customer order cycle times improved by 22%
- Teams felt empowered because they had a voice in the process
The lesson? Don’t push adoption. Build it, test it, and grow it with your people.
Stuck? Here’s How to Reignite ERP Momentum
Even intentional implementations may stall. When adoption is not taking off, don’t panic – pivot.
Here are some ideas to regain momentum:
- Facilitate listening sessions: Ask teams about what is stopping them.
- Re-evaluate training needs: Some teams may require more hands-on support.
- Publicily highlight successes: Examples by peers are more powerful than an edict.
- Revisit your “why”: Remind everyone what the ERP system will enable.
Recovery is not about blame! Recovery is about renewing the vision.
Keeping ERP Alive: What Engagement Looks Like After Go-Live
Go-live is not an end, it is the start of a new way of working, and to make ERP sustainment effective:
- Develop a internal feedback loop by calendaring regular check inns and surveys so you lead In front of any potential issues.
- Introduce functionality new ERP features progressively—keep the met working valuable and fresh.
- Encourage continuous innovation – allow people to identify how to improve processes through ERP tools.
- Celebrate milestones – for example, whether that’s 90 days live or your first 1,000 transactions of business, and everything in between.
To sustain engagement is to develop ERP as a cultural component and not a technological function.
Ready or Not? Use This Team Checklist Before You Launch ERP
Before you rush into implementing ERP, take a moment to evaluate your organization’s true readiness. Use this questionnaire as a springboard for conversation with your departments:
Cross-Department Participation Have you enlisted every team (not just IT, or finance) into the planning and selection stages?
Clarity on Goals Are you aligned on what successful post-implementation looks like, and how it will be measured?
Identified ERP Champions: Are there engaged team members, in every department, that their co-workers respect, and can help lead and inspire?
Tailored Training Plans: Are all your training plans, hands-on and meaningful to how each team will actually use the ERP system day-to-day?
Management Engagement: Are department heads and senior leaders utilizing the system themselves and communicating the importance of doing so?
Active Feedback Loops: Is there an organized method for collecting, analyzing, and acting upon feedback from end users?
Procedures to Recover from Roadblocks: Have you addressed how you will deal with dips in motivation, learning fatigue, and disengagement after go-live?
If you have a “no” on any of the above, that’s your opportunity. Addressing these gaps early can be the difference between another failed rollout and a complete, team-powered transformation.
Final Thought: Turning Change Anxiety into Real Progress
Adopting an ERP system is ultimately a human journey. Sure the software is important. Yes, the functionality is powerful. But success of ERP is life and death with your people.
Bring them along the journey. Listen more than you talk. Train for retention and understanding and not just speed. Support and celebrate, and lead from a position of humility.
Do all of this, and resistance will be transformed into results. Not overnight, but over time, through trust, communication, and shared purpose.
Take the First Step Towards Transformation
Now are you ready to assess your team’s ERP readiness? Download our free checklist, or book a change-readiness appointment with our ERP advisors.
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