Mint Jutras

1.               November  2015       CAN  ERP  HELP  BRIDGE  THE  GENERATIONAL  DIVIDE?   ADDRESSING  THE  SKILLS  GAP   A  generational  divide  today  fuels  the  skills  gap  in  many  industries.  On  one   end  of  the  spectrum  we  see  highly  trained,  highly  skilled  baby  boomers   who  are  beginning  to  retire.  This  generation  entered  the  work  force  at  a   time  when  many  processes  were  still  very  manual,  requiring  a  greater   depth  of  knowledge  and  understanding.  When  faced  with  a  new  task  or   activity,  these  workers    also  faced  a  steep  learning  curve.  They   communicated  (or  not)  without  the  aid  of  cell  phones  and  the  Internet;   technology  played  a  relatively  minor  role  as  people  and  careers  matured.     Key Takeaways ü While  baby  boomers   knew/know  the  business   and  perhaps  don’t   appreciate  the  extent  to   which  technology  can   help,  millennials  take     technology  for  granted   but  don’t  have  the  same   depth  of  business   knowledge   ü The  connectivity,   collaboration  capabilities   and  added  visibility  of   newer  ERP  solutions   hold  the  key  to  bridging   generational  and  skill   gaps   ü Older  and  younger   generations  will  be   drawn  to  new  user   experiences  for  different   reasons,  but  will  wind  up   in  the  same  place,   accessing  enterprise   data  in  real  time     ü New  “social”  capabilities   now  being  delivered  by   ERP  solution  providers   can  produce  a   synergistic  effect  and   help  close  the  skills  gap,   drawing  all  parties  into   the  conversation,   sharing  strengths  and   creating  synergy   On  the  other  end  of  the  spectrum  are  the  millennials  who  grew  up  with   technology.  They  don’t  know  life  without  the  Internet,  smart  phones  and   electronic  gadgets.  They  don’t  know  what  it  is  like  to  be  “disconnected.”   When  faced  with  a  new  task  or  activity  they  ask,  “Is  there  an  app  for   that?”  Since  the  answer  is  often  yes,  they  are  not  required  to  develop  the   same  level  of  understanding  possessed  by  those  who  may  soon  be   retiring.     While  baby  boomers  knew/know  the  business  and  perhaps  don’t   appreciate  the  extent  to  which  technology  can  help,  millennials  take     technology  for  granted  but  don’t  have  the  same  depth  of  business   knowledge.  Companies  are  increasingly  looking  for  ways  to  bridge  this   generational  divide.    Enterprise  Resource  Planning  (ERP)  and  other   complementary  systems  can  help,  but  only  with  a  new  generation  of   modern  applications.  By  automating  processes  and  making  the  user   experience  more  intuitive,  companies  can  not  only  attract  the  younger   generation  but  also  make  life  easier  for  older  workers,  drawing  them  into   the  technology  fold.     THE  ERP  CONNECTION   Those  running  outdated  ERP  applications  might  be  puzzled  by  the  assertion   that  such  a  solution  can  bridge  the  generation  gap  or  address  a  skill  deficit.   Early  ERP  solutions  created  the  need  for  lots  of  training.  Not  only  did  users   need  to  be  trained  in  how  to  navigate  menus  and  screens,  but  also  in  workflow   and  procedure.  Because  early  ERP  systems  didn’t  work  exactly  the  way  people   worked,  workers  first  had  to  learn  how  to  do  their  jobs,  and  then  separately   had  to  learn  how  to  enter  data  into  ERP,  and/or  how  to  extract  it.  Depending   on  how  closely  (or  not)  these  two  were  aligned,  the  same  ERP  that  was   supposed  to  make  life  easier,  sometimes  made  it  harder.  While  baby  boomers    

2. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  2  of  11     might  not  claim  to  have  walked  five  miles  to  school  in  two  feet  of  snow  (uphill   both  ways?),  they  were  accustomed  to  “hard.”  They  didn’t  revolt.  They   adapted,  even  if  it  meant  working  around  the  system  instead  of  with  it.   Data Source In  this  report,    Mint   Jutras  references  data   collected  from  its  2015   Enterprise  Solution   Study,  which   investigated  the  goals,   challenges  and  status   and  also  benchmarked   performance  of   implementations  of   software  used  to  run  the   business.   But  on  a  personal  level  baby  boomers  also  wanted  “better”  and  “easier”  for   the  next  generation.  And  they  delivered  that,  providing  all  the  “modern   conveniences”  to  their  children  and  grandchildren.  And  of  course  the   electronics  of  today  were  a  natural  progression  for  these  next  generations.   They  took  to  Xbox  and  computer  games  like  fish  to  water.  And  games  led  to   computers  and  cell  phones  and  then  smart  phones,  and  then  tablets.   Computers  led  them  to  the  Internet.  Smart  phones  and  tablets  led  them  to   “apps.”     When  the  generation  that  grew  up  with  consumer  technology  entered  the   “real  world”  and  got  jobs,  they  couldn’t  understand  why  the  “apps”  they  used   at  work  weren’t  as  easy  to  use  as  the  ones  they  were  using  on  their  smart   phones  and  tablets.  Unlike  the  older  generation  that  knew  the  business  and   the  business  processes  inside  and  out,  and  therefore  knew  how  to  operate   outside  of  the  system,  the  younger  generation  had  become  dependent  upon   technology.   Almost  400  responses   were  collected  from   companies  across  a   broad  range  of   industries.  This  sample   included  responses  from   companies  of  all  sizes,   ranging  from  very  small   to  very  large  enterprises.     The  combination  of  these  forces  has  led  to  a  change  in  how  enterprise   software  like  ERP  is  evaluated.  For  many  years  “fit  and  functionality”  was,  by   far,  the  top  selection  criterion.  The  Mint  Jutras  2014  ERP  Solution  Study,  and   other  prior  year  studies  asked  participants  to  prioritize  individual  selection   criteria  (Table  1)  on  a  scale  of  1  to  5.  And  we  observed  a  change.   ü Selection Criteria Ranking Participants  were  asked   to  prioritize  13  different   selection  criteria  on  a   scale  of  1  to  5  as  follows:   Table  1:  Selection  Criteria   5:  Must  Have/Most   Important   4:  Important   3:  Somewhat  Important   2:  Nice  to  Have   1:  Not  a  Consideration   The  actual  “mean”   shown  in  Table  1  is  less   important  than  the   relative  priority  of  the   different  evaluation   criteria.   Source: Mint Jutras 2014 ERP Solution Study  

3. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  3  of  11     While  fit  and  functionality  still  had  the  highest  percentage  of  participant  votes   for  “must  have/most  important,”  ease  of  use  took  the  top  spot  in  terms  of   overall  priority.  Having  all  the  functionality  in  the  world  is  meaningless  if  you   can’t  figure  out  how  to  use  it.   But  the  results  were  so  close  we  wondered  what  would  be  the  priority  if   respondents  had  to  choose.  So  in  2015  we  changed  the  format  of  the   question,  again  listing  the  different  criteria,  but  this  time  consolidating  to  10   criteria  and  forcing  the  participants  to  stack  rank  them  from  1  (least   important)  to  10  (most  important).  Given  the  preoccupation  of  industry   influencers  with  “user  experience”,  we  also  changed  “ease  of  use”  to  “user   experience”  and  substituted  some  of  the  prior  criteria  for  new  factors  which   had  risen  in  importance  in  our  research.  The  overall  results  are  clear.  The  top   three  criteria  are  all  related  to  features  and  functionality.     Table  2:  Selection  Criteria  Priorities  Stack  Ranked  from  1  to  10   Selection Criteria Priorities 2015 Survey  respondents  were   asked  to  stack  rank  the   different  selection  criteria   from  1  (least  important)   to  10  (most  important).   They  were  not  allowed  to   have  two  ranked  at  the   same  priority,  forcing   them  to  decide  on  the   order  of  importance.   Source: Mint Jutras 2015 Enterprise Solution Study User  experience  is  still  in  the  top  half,  but  when  forced  to  choose,  it  fell  in   importance.  “Ease  of  use”  is  an  important  element  of  the  user  experience,  and   in  fact  is  often  viewed  as  synonomous.  But  “ease  of  use”  means  different   things  to  different  people,  particularly  across  generational  boundaries.  Mint   Jutras  suspected  this  was  very  much  the  case  in  terms  of  both  the  definition  of   ease  of  use,  as  well  as  the  prioritization  of  selection  criteria.  So  in  2015  we  also   captured  the  year  in  which  our  survey  respondents  were  born,  in  order  to   categorize  them  in  the  most  popular  vernacular  of  “generations.”  The  results   were  quite  interesting  (Table  3).     We  can  make  several  interesting  observations  from  this  comparison.  Not  only   do  the  priorities  of  baby  boomers  differ  quite  dramatically  from  those  of   millennials,  but  we  also  see  less  consensus  from  this  youngest  generation.    

4. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  4  of  11         Table  3:  Selection  Criteria  Priorities  Stack  Ranked  by  Generation   Defining the Generations Survey  respondents  were   placed  in  the  following   groups  based  on  the  year   they  were  born:   üBaby  boomers:  born   between  1943  and   1964   ü  Generation  Xers:  1965   to  1981     üMillenial:  born  in  1982   or  after   Source: Mint Jutras 2015 Enterprise Solution Study Note: Top priority is shaded in light green Note  the  differential  between  the  criteria  with  the  highest  and  the  lowest   scores  across  each  of  the  three  columns.  Fit  and  functionality  is  clearly  at  the   top  for  baby  boomers  (and  Gen  Xers)  and  “social”  capabilities  are  clearly  at  the   bottom,  with  a  difference  in  scores  of  4.3.  Surprisingly,  social  capabilites  were   also  at  the  bottom  for  millennials,  but  there  was  only  a  spread  of  1.5  between   the  bottom  and  the  top.  And  at  the  top  of  the  millennials’  list  was  the  quality   of  built-­‐in  reporting  and  analytics…  perhaps  because  without  this  built-­‐in   capability,  these  younger  workers  might  not  be  able  to  garner  real  meaning   from  the  enterprise  data.   But  what  some  might  find  most  surprising  is  that  millennials  seem  to  place  less   value  on  the  user  experience  than  both  of  the  older  generations.  While  on  the   surface  this  might  seem  puzzling,  since  these  are  the  workers  balking  at  the   green  screens  and  clumsy  interfaces  of  old.  But  this  is  far  less  surprising  when   you  realize  that  millennials  define  “ease  of  use”  differently  than  those  with   more  experience.   Survey  respondents  were  asked  to  select  the  top  three  most  important   aspects  of  “ease  of  use.”  While  baby  boomers  and  Gen  Xers  define  it  first  and   foremost  in  terms  of  efficiencies,  millennials  are  far  more  likely  to  simply   equate  it  to  the  visual  appeal  of  the  user  interface  (Figure  1).  While  baby   boomers  equate  efficiency  to  intuitive  navigation,  millennials  take  intuitive   navigation  for  granted.  They  have  never  used  software  that  required  a  user   manual.  To  them,  a  visually  appealing  user  interface,  which  was  at  the  very   bottom  of  the  priorities  for  baby  boomers  and  GenXers,  is  most  important.      

5. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  5  of  11     Figure  1:  Defining  Ease  of  Use  by  Generation  (top  3  factors)     Source: Mint Jutras 2015 ERP Solution Study There  is  an  important  lesson  to  be  learned  here.  Most  companies  have   representatives  of  all  generations  using  ERP.  For  it  to  be  most  effective  in   helping  you  bridge  the  generational  divide  and  fill  the  skills  gap,  you  can’t   settle  for  pleasing  some  of  the  audience  all  of  the  time,  or  all  of  the  audience   some  of  the  time.  You  need  to  please  (and  engage)  all  users  all  of  the  time.   “Beautiful  software”  and  simplicity,  functionality  and  efficiency  are  equally   important.  Navigation  throughout  must  be  intuitive  for  all  generations,   including  both  those  anxious  to  get  rid  of  old  cheat  sheets  and  guides,  as  well   as  the  younger  generation  that  takes  intuitive  navigation  for  granted.   To  be  most  effective,  you   can’t  settle  for  pleasing   some  of  the  audience  all   of  the  time,  or  all  of  the   audience  some  of  the   time.  You  need  to  please   (and  engage)  all  users  all   of  the  time.   Results  from  our  ease  of  use  question  tell  us  that  the  different  generations   appreciate  (or  not)  easy  access  to  ERP  any  time  from  anywhere  about  equally   (33%  to  38%  placed  it  in  their  top  three).  But  if  we  look  back  at  Table  3,  we  see   that  millenials  are  more  likely  to  connect  the  dots  between  the  cloud,  their   mobile  devices  and  this  instant  access…  especially  the  cloud.  “Cloud  options”   for  ERP  ranked  number  two  in  priority  (behind  quality  of  built-­‐in  reporting  and   analytics)  for  millennials,  while  cloud,  mobile  and  social  rounded  out  the   bottom  three  for  baby  boomers.     These  digital  factors  weigh  heavily  on  how  millennials  learn  today.  Back  when   the  baby  boomers  were  just  starting  out  (and  had  a  lot  to  learn),  they  were   surrounded  by  more  experienced  workers,  in  the  physical  sense.  But  today  we   often  work  in  a  virtual  world  of  telecommuting  and  distributed  environments.   We  find  80%  of  the  companies  participating  in  our  Solution  Study  operate  in   multiple  locations  (Figure  2),  and  this  doesn’t  even  reflect  the  workers  in  home   offices.  Even  smaller  companies  face  this  challenge.  These  less  experienced    

6. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  6  of  11     workers  can’t  necessarily  walk  across  the  aisle  for  assistance.  Instead,  they   reach  out  electronically.  So  it  is  critical  that  those  with  more  experience  are   also  connected  to  that  virtual  network.  But  both  need  a  transportation  vehicle   to  support  communication  and  transmit  data  throughout  that  network.  This  is   where  ERP  comes  in.   Figure  2:  Environments  are  increasingly  distributed   Company Size In  Figure  2  company  size   is  determined  by  annual   revenue.   üSmall:  annual   revenues  under  $25   million   üLower-­‐Mid:  $25   million  to  $250  million   üUpper-­‐Mid:  $250   million  to  $1  billion   üLarge:  revenues  over   $1  billion     Source: Mint Jutras 2015 ERP Solution Study And  since  most  millennials  view  their  mobile  devices  as  a  lifeline  to  the  rest  of   the  world,  this  is  just  another  reason  why  the  ability  to  connect  to  ERP  through   a  mobile  device  is  even  more  important  than  many  realize.  Notice  that  for  all   but  millennials,  this  was  second  from  the  bottom  of  the  priority  list.  And  it   wasn’t  that  much  further  up  the  list  for  the  millennials.  This  is  a  clear   indication  that  participants  underestimate  the  role  ERP  can  and  should  play  in   communication,  collaboration  and  decision-­‐making.   The  ability  to  connect  to   ERP  through  a  mobile   device  is  even  more   important  than  many   realize….    This  is  a  clear   indication  that  survey   participants  under-­‐ estimate  the  role  ERP   can  and  should  play  in   communication,   collaboration  and   decision-­‐making.   ERP  can  provide  these  capabilities  but  not  by  just  dumping  old  ways  of   accessing  ERP  to  a  mobile  device.  Give  a  new  mobile  device  to  a  millennial  and   he  or  she  will  find  dozens  of  productive  ways  to  use  it.  To  get  this  “there’s  an   app  for  that”  generation  to  use  ERP  on  a  mobile  device,  it  has  to  look,  feel  and   behave  like  other  mobile  apps.  Give  someone  of  the  older  generation  the   same  new  device,  and  it  is  just  as  likely  to  sit  in  a  desk  drawer.  To  get  these   baby  boomers  to  use  ERP  on  a  mobile  device,  you  need  to  deliver  a  user   experience  purpose-­‐built  to  answer  their  questions  and  help  them  solve  their    

7. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  7  of  11     most  pressing  problems.    Today’s  technology-­‐enabled  ERP  solutions  can,  and   in  doing  so  also  help  bridge  the  generational  divide.  Older  and  younger   generations  may  be  drawn  to  these  new  user  experiences  for  different   reasons,  but  they  will  wind  up  in  the  same  place,  accessing  enterprise  data  in   real  time  and  communicating  from  the  same  page.  The  conclusion?  User   experience  is  equally  as  important  to  both  younger  and  older  generations  of   workers.     Older  and  younger   generations  may  be   drawn  to  these  new  user   experiences  for  different   reasons,  but  they  will   wind  up  in  the  same   place,  accessing   enterprise  data  in  real   time  and  communicating   from  the  same  page.   WHAT  ABOUT  THE  SKILLS  GAP?   New  ways  of  engaging  with  ERP,  including  engaging  with  mobile  devices,   might  bring  the  older  and  younger  generation  together,  but  can  it  help  address   the  skills  gap  that  still  seems  to  pervade  the  workplace?     The  connectivity,   collaboration   capabilities  and  added   visibility  of  newer  ERP   solutions  hold  the  key  to   bridging  this  skills  gap.   Indeed  the  connectivity,  collaboration  capabilities  and  added  visibility  of   newer  ERP  solutions  hold  the  key  to  bridging  this  gap.  The  trick  is  to  bring   these  two  generations  together  in  order  to  learn  from  each  other.  This  is   where  the  new  “social”  capabilities  now  being  delivered  by  ERP  solution   providers  can  produce  a  synergistic  effect  with  the  result  being  far  greater   than  the  sum  of  the  parts.   The  new  “social”   capabilities  now  being   delivered  by  ERP  solution   providers  can  produce  a   synergistic  effect  with   the  result  being  far   greater  than  the  sum  of   the  parts.   Of  course  the  term  “social”  has  different  connotations  to  the  older  and   younger  generations.  The  younger  generation  seems  to  operate  from  the   principle  of  communicate  early,  communicate  often.  And  this  communication   is  largely  electronic.  They  get  answers  from  the  Internet  instantly,  text  their   friends  and  colleagues  constantly  and  are  always  in  search  of  the  latest  in   techno-­‐gadgetry.  So  they  immediately  equate  the  term  “social”  to   engagement,  communication,  collaboration  and  transparency.   Mention  “social”  to  a  baby  boomer  and  you  get  a  far  different  reaction.  While   more  and  more  they  may  actively  engage  on  Facebook  to  share  pictures  of   grandchildren  and  communicate  with  relatives  and  friends  from  a  distance,   from  a  business  perspective  it  is  a  distraction,  something  that  should  be  done   on  employees’  personal  time.  For  the  traditional  businessperson  accustomed   to  traditional  means  of  communication,  “social”  has  an  unfortunate   connotation.     Yet  it  would  appear  that  baby  boomers  are  not  alone  in  missing  the   connection  between  “social”  and  ERP.  Social  capabilities  was  at  the  very   bottom  of  the  priorities  of  all  three  generations,  albeit  more  dramatically  so   with  the  more  mature  crowd.  And  yet  when  we  identify  what  some  of  these   capabilities  actually  are,  we  get  a  very  different  response.  Sure  enough,  all  the   social  capabilities  that  vendors  are  busy  adding  to  ERP  are  more  often  viewed   as  useful  or  “must  have”  than  just  “nice  to  have.”  And  10%  or  less  indicated   they  would  not  use  the  capability  if  available  (Table  4).    

8. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  8  of  11     Table  4:  Are  these  “social”  capabilities  useful?  Shhh…don’t  call  them  social   Source: Mint Jutras 2015 Enterprise Solution Study You  might  be  wondering  if  this  too  varies  by  generation.    The  answer:  Not  as   much  as  you  might  think.  The  only  capability  that  was  valued  significantly   more  highly  by  millennials  was  the  ability  to  capture  a  conversation  and   associate  it  with  a  business  object  (e.g.  a  customer,  an  order,  etc.)  But   remember,  millennials  are  very  accustomed  to  carrying  on  a  conversation   electronically,  so  making  the  mental  leap  to  capturing  the  conversational  trail   is  not  a  very  big  leap.  For  a  baby  boomer  it  may  well  entail  redefining  what  is   meant  by  a  “conversation.”   YES,  ERP  CAN  HELP.  BUT  NOT  JUST  ANY  ERP   By  now,  you  are  probably  thinking,  that  perhaps  ERP  can  in  fact  help  bridge   the  generational  divide  and  fill  some  of  the  skills  gaps  we  experience  today.   But  not  every  ERP  will  be  able  to  help.  It  takes  a  certain  level  of  feature   functionality,  coupled  with  enabling  technology.  Below  you  will  find  some  of   the  next  generation  capabilities  required,  including  those  that  might  be  called   “social.”   ENTERPRISE  SEARCH:   It  is  not  clear  exactly  when  “Google”  became  a  verb,  but  that  is  exactly  how   many  people  use  the  term  today.  Looking  for  information,  or  an  answer  to  a   question?  Just  “Google”  it.  Wouldn’t  it  be  great  if  you  could  do  the  same  with   your  enterprise  data  within  ERP?     Next  generation  ERP  solutions  with  social  capabilities  do  this  by  incorporating   a  simple  (to  use)  enterprise  search  capability.  Don’t  know  exactly  what  you  are   looking  for?  Don’t  know  exactly  where  to  look?  What  do  you  do?  In  the  real   world,  you  start  searching  and  perhaps  as  you  start  to  retrieve  information,   you  refine  that  search.  Why  not  apply  the  same  principle  to  accessing  data  in   enterprise  applications?  Search  by  customer,  order,  supplier,  part  or  product,    

9. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  9  of  11     perhaps  combining  data  residing  in  your  enterprise  applications  with   unstructured  data  available  on  the  Internet.     Without  this  level  of  search  capability  in  ERP,  users  need  to  know  where  and   how  different  data  elements  and  business  objects  are  stored  and  this   knowledge  is  dependent  on  technology  skills.  Adding  an  enterprise  search   function  bridges  that  skills  gap  and  allows  users  to  work,  discover  and  learn   more  naturally.   CONFIGURABLE  USER  INTERFACES:     Over  the  years  ERP  has  progressed  from  hierarchical  menus  and  tabbing   through  “forms”  to  point  and  click  and  drag  and  drop.  Now  as  we  also  begin  to   bring  these  applications  to  mobile  devices,  touch  screen  technology  is   emerging.  Those  ERP  solution  providers  that  are  truly  providing  modern,  next   generation  ERP  are  employing  a  “mobile  first”  philosophy  of  design.    If  you   allow  individuals  to  choose  the  paradigm  they  are  most  comfortable  with  and   customize  it  to  their  individual  needs,  you  get  everyone  on  the  same  page.     Younger  workers  can  use  familiar  interfaces  and  devices  to  build  their   knowledge  of  how  the  enterprise  works  while  older  workers  are  introduced  to   the  ease  with  which  they  can  connect  to  the  business.   Without  “Google-­‐like”   search  capability  in  ERP,   users  needed  to  know   where  and  how  different   data  elements  and   business  objects  are   stored  and  this   knowledge  is  dependent   on  technology  skills.   Adding  an  enterprise   search  function  bridges   that  skills  gap  and   allows  users  to  work,   discover  and  learn  more   naturally.   PERSONALIZED  WORKSPACES:     These  may  be  called  dashboards,  portals  or  even  workspaces.  Think  of  them  as   a  home  base  of  operations  from  which  you  can  easily  access  the  data  and  tools   you  need  and  use  every  day,  all  day.  The  power  of  a  well-­‐constructed   workspace  lies  in  blurring  the  boundaries  between  ERP  and  other  enterprise   applications,  desktop  tools  like  spreadsheets,  email,  instant  messaging,  alerts   and  more.  You  are  able  to  reach  out  and  touch  any  of  these  without  closing   down  or  minimizing  one  application  before  firing  up  another.     As  always,  a  picture  is  worth  a  thousand  words.  Click  on  a  chart  to  drill  down   into  further  detail.  The  need  to  learn  new  “navigational”  skills  disappears.   These  workspaces  are  also  a  convenient  place  to  insert  that  enterprise  search   button.  These  too  should  be  easily  configured  and  customized  by  role  or  by   individual.   Younger,  less   experienced  workers   won’t  even  know  what   to  look  for.  Older   workers,  aware  of   potential  danger,  may   not  know  where  to  look.   Why  not  have  ERP   deliver  data  to  you   without  having  to  ask   for  it?   PUSH  VERSUS  PULL:     While  all  of  these  new  consumer  grade  interfaces  can  be  very  valuable,  they   only  deliver  answers  when  interrogated.  Younger,  less  experienced  workers   won’t  even  know  what  to  look  for.  Older  workers,  aware  of  potential  danger,   may  not  know  where  to  look.  Why  not  have  ERP  deliver  data  to  you  without   having  to  ask  for  it?  In  its  most  simple  form,  this  could  simply  be  in  the  format   of  an  alert.     Event  management,  which  is  the  underlying  technology  that  triggers  an  alert,   is  hardly  new,  but  still  not  widely  used.  An  event  manager  can  be  constantly    

10. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  10  of  11     searching  for  conditions  or  events  that  occur  (e.g.  a  big  order  comes  in)  or  fail   to  occur  (e.g.  payment  of  a  large  invoice  does  not)  while  you  go  about  your   business.    Alerts  can  be  delivered  in  any  number  of  ways,  but  the  most   common  today  is  still  via  email.   While  the  exception  management  facilitated  by  these  alerts  is  certainly  a  plus,   executives  and  line  managers  can  still  be  blind-­‐sided  by  a  notification  that   seemingly  comes  out  of  the  blue.  Of  course  in  some  cases  the  sensitivity  level   can  be  increased  to  give  a  warning,  but  think  how  much  more  valuable  it   would  be  to  have  the  ability  to  monitor  a  stream  of  activity  surrounding  that   big  order  or  the  efforts  made  to  collect  payment  from  that  delinquent   account.  In  order  to  do  that,  you  need  to  be  “following”  the  account.   THE  CONCEPT  OF  “FOLLOWING”   If  you  aren’t  already  a  fan  of  “social”,  the  concept  of  “following”  someone  or   something  might  not  seem  immediately  familiar  to  you.  But  chances  are,  you   are  already  following  someone  or  something  either  in  your  professional  or   personal  life.  Perhaps  you  follow  the  stock  price  of  specific  companies,  or  you   watch  a  stock  exchange  like  NASDAQ  or  the  Nikkei.  Or  maybe  you  follow  the   stats  of  your  favorite  sports  teams.  Maybe  you  do  that  through  newspapers,   online  or  using  an  app  on  your  mobile  device.  Perhaps  newsfeeds  are   delivered  to  you  through  email.  Regardless  of  the  delivery  method,  the   objective  is  to  stay  informed.   What  if  you  could  easily  apply  that  same  concept  to  your  customers,  orders  or   prospects?  Let’s  look  at  that  big  deal  you  are  expecting  to  close.  The  sales  rep   has  it  on  his  forecast  and  his  manager  also  feels  confident.  But  if  you  really   want  to  get  a  feel  for  the  timing  and  the  likelihood  of  closing  the  deal,  today   you  probably  pick  up  the  phone  and  talk  to  the  rep  or  his  manager.  But  do  you   get  the  full  picture?     Wouldn’t  it  also  be  helpful  to  follow  the  trail  of  activity  that  has  already   occurred  during  the  sales  cycle?    What  if  you  could  see  the  conversations  or   chatter  between  sales  rep  and  manager?  What  documents  have  been   delivered  to  the  prospect?  And  what  if  this  potential  deal  is  with  an  existing   customer?  Wouldn’t  you  like  to  be  able  to  scroll  through  the  support  activity   over  the  past  few  months,  including  the  calls,  issues  and  resolutions?  Has  the   customer  experienced  any  quality  or  delivery  issues?  Have  they  been   consistently  paying  their  bills  on  time  or  is  the  outstanding  balance  over  90   days?  Think  what  could  be  learned,  potentially  filling  more  of  those   information  gaps  that  are  only  aggravated  when  you  have  a  skills  gap.   Social  capabilities  can   easily  draw  all  parties   into  the  conversation,   sharing  strengths  and   creating  synergy.   Younger  workers  are   drawn  into  real  business   conversations  and  more   mature  workers  can  be   guided  through  using   these  electronic  means   of  engaging,  sharing  and   collaborating.   COLLABORATION     Simply  aggregating  all  this  activity  and  data  and  making  it  available  to  all   interested  and  involved  parties  provides  an  environment  conducive  to   collaboration.  These  tools  can  easily  draw  all  parties  into  the  conversation,    

11. Can  ERP  Help  Bridge  the  Generational  Divide?   Page  11  of  11     sharing  strengths  and  creating  synergy.  Younger  workers  are  drawn  into  real   business  conversations  and  more  mature  workers  can  be  guided  through  using   these  electronic  means  of  engaging,  sharing  and  collaborating.       We  are  already  seeing  increased  engagement  with  ERP  at  higher  executive   levels  of  the  organization.  The  majority  of  companies  surveyed  (81%)  claim  all   executives  have  direct  access  to  ERP.  But  do  they  engage  on  a  regular  basis   and  are  they  engaging  collaboratively?  Although  the  younger  generation   intuitively  works  collaboratively  because  they  are  always  connected,  baby   boomer  executives  are  more  likely  to  simply  make  “an  executive  decision.”   While  we  have  made  significant  progress  in  top-­‐level  executives  simply  gaining   access  to  ERP,  we  still  have  a  long  way  to  go  before  they  are  well  equipped  for   collaborative  decision-­‐making.  We  need  to  give  them  access  directly  from  the   mobile  devices  (which  they  all  carry  these  days)  and  apply  these  social   concepts  in  order  to  draw  them  into  the  real-­‐time  communication  of  the   digital  world.   SUMMARY  AND  KEY  TAKE-­‐AWAYS   Can  new  ways  of  engaging  with  ERP  teach  the  younger  generation  the   business  while  awakening  the  more  mature  crowd  to  the  potential  for  new   technology?  The  answer  is  a  definitive  “Yes!”  Not  only  has  ERP  itself  matured   to  better  reflect  and  adapt  to  the  changing  business  world,  but  new  ways  of   engaging  with  modern,  next  generation  solutions  are  emerging.  Need  to   access  data  from  anywhere,  any  time?  There’s  an  app  for  that.  Need  to  access   it  from  your  mobile  device?  Yes,  there’s  an  app  for  that.  Need  to  communicate   throughout  the  chain  of  command,  across  the  generational  divide?  Yes,  there’s   an  app  for  that.  The  app  is  ERP.               About  the  author:    Cindy  Jutras  is  a  widely  recognized  expert  in  analyzing  the  impact   of  enterprise  applications  on  business  performance.  Utilizing  over  40  years  of   corporate  experience  and  specific  expertise  in  manufacturing,  supply  chain,  customer   service  and  business  performance  management,  Cindy  has  spent  the  past  10  years   benchmarking  the  performance  of  software  solutions  in  the  context  of  the  business   benefits  of  technology.  In  2011  Cindy  founded  Mint  Jutras  LLC  (www.mintjutras.com),   specializing  in  analyzing  and  communicating  the  business  value  enterprise  applications   bring  to  the  enterprise.