The psychology of change—and what it means for your ERP investment

https://www.fastcompany.com/91453590/change-secret-psychological-leaders

The Article That Explains Everything

Jessica Wilen’s recent piece in Fast Company, “The secret to change isn’t procedural, it’s psychological,” articulates something every SAP consultant knows but few say out loud:

Most reactions to change are not reactions to the actual change. They are reactions to what the change is interpreted to mean.

Read that again. Then consider what it means for a multi-million pound S/4HANA transformation.

The “Small Restructuring” Paradox

Wilen describes working with a team undergoing what leadership called a “small restructuring.” The core work wasn’t shifting. No jobs were threatened. The strategy made sense.

And yet:

• One manager became more reserved, answering questions with careful brevity
• Another grew fixated on minor details
• A third found herself irritable without knowing why

This was a minor change. Now imagine replacing an organisation’s entire ERP backbone.

What Change Actually Threatens

When people resist transformation, they’re rarely resisting the software. They’re protecting something deeper:

A new system doesn’t just change how people work. It destabilises their sense of identity, capability, and belonging.