HR
departments are now more involved in the implementation of new IT systems than
ever before.
According
to business software maker SAP UK, companies are increasingly investing in
system-specific training programmes to help avoid teething problems with new
technology and drive return on investment.
Lisa
Clark, director of education at SAP, said, “We have seen a 4 per cent increase
in spend across the board in project team training this year – the first
increase for a long time. Utility and retail firms in particular are spending
more.”
Rather
than just focusing on putting the systems in and nothing else, companies are
seeking to train users on overall development strategies, Clark said.
“We
have been working with HR departments on behavioural competencies such as
customer orientation,” she said. “Companies have come to realise that it is
about people and performance, not just technology.”
Last
month, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) said too
many organisations were not sufficiently addressing change management when
implementing IT systems.
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Duncan
Brown, assistant director general of the CIPD, said: “If organisations were to
train more of their staff in project management skills as well as piloting
schemes or evaluating systems after implementation, the number of organisations
reporting problems would reduce radically.”
