We live in a time where developments in the HR tech market are unfolding at lightning speed: consider the acquisition of Dayforce by Thoma Bravo, SAP’s recent acquisition of SmartRecruiters, and Workday’s takeover of Paradox. Beyond these shifts, we’ve seen an ongoing trend: organizations increasingly need HR technology to centralize and automate HR processes. The goals are clear—reducing time, costs, and errors, while gaining greater insight and control over people and the organization. As a result, more and more companies are implementing new HR technology or will need to redesign and re-implement their HR-IT landscape due to these market changes.
A major undertaking—one that comes with significant risks. Will all stakeholders embrace the changes, or will resistance arise? How do you ensure a smooth transition from the old way of working to the new? Will the new system ultimately deliver the outcomes envisioned, and can you justify the investment?
In this article, you’ll learn more about:
- The value of change management in transformations
- Why change requires more than training and communication
- How we support organizations in their change projects with our Humans at the Heart model
The common (and costly) mistake in HR Tech implementations: underestimating change management
Implementations are expensive and time-consuming projects, and the focus is often heavily on technology: selecting a system, configuring processes, and meeting strict deadlines. These steps are necessary—but they are only part of the success equation. The greatest risk in implementations is not technical, but human: lack of adoption, insufficient buy-in, or resistance within the organization.
Wanneer medewerkers het nieuwe systeem niet begrijpen of de toegevoegde waarde niet zien, is de kans groot dat zij terugvallen in oude werkwijzen. Het resultaat: een systeem dat weliswaar live staat, maar weinig impact maakt. Daarmee verdwijnt niet alleen de initiële investering in licenties en implementatie, maar ook de kans om HR-processen daadwerkelijk te verbeteren. Dit alles leidt uiteindelijk tot verzonken kosten en een lagere return on investment.
How can this be prevented? By truly addressing the human side of implementation—engagement, adoption, and sustained usage. In short: change management.
With it, implementation shifts from a technical delivery to a true transformation, where impact and sustainable results take center stage.
Change management is more than training and communication
Many organizations underestimate change management. We often hear:
“We don’t need external expertise—we already do change management by training end users and communicating extensively with the organization!”
Training and communication are absolutely essential activities during any change initiative, but they represent only a small portion of the overall journey. First, because change does not begin and end in the weeks around go-live. Second, because sustainable change requires a much broader set of activities.
Real transformation demands a wide range of actions, including:
- Setting up and managing a sponsor network
- Designing and implementing a change support model
- KPI management
These and much more are captured in our own change management framework: Humans at the Heart.
A structured approach as success factor: the Humans at the Heart model
Because change initiatives are often complex and unpredictable, a structured approach helps maintain control. It prevents critical elements from being overlooked and provides guidance in managing uncertainties.
A solid change framework provides direction, while leaving room for flexibility to adapt to what happens in practice. At Advisory Services HQ, we believe people are at the beating heart of every successful transformation: Humans at the Heart. Our method is not a magic formula, but our experience shows that this approach provides organizations with concrete tools to design, execute, and sustain change initiatives with long-term results.
For each phase of the Humans at the Heart model, we have defined the organizational value, detailed activities, roles, and responsibilities. The approach is characterized by three principles: aanpak kenmerkt zich door drie kernwoorden:
1. Pragmatic
2. Co-creative
3. Practical
In other words: no endless PowerPoints or plans that end up in a drawer, but effective interventions by and for the organization—continuously refined based on lessons from past transformations and the latest trends in change management.
From targeted interventions to end-to-end support
At Advisory Services HQ, we give organizations full control over their project budgets and resources with flexible service levels—ranging from ad-hoc support to full-service solutions. This way, an organization can decide whether it wants support during specific phases of our Humans at the Heart method, or throughout the entire journey from A to Z.
In short: why Advisory Services HQ?
- Change as a Service – keep control over your project budget and decide which level of support your organization needs
- Co-creatieve change – designing and executing effective activities together
- Measurable growth, sustainable change – we make the impact of change management visible through our own measurement model
- Broad expertise beyond change management, we bring extensive experience in complex HR transformations alongside our SHQ-colleagues
And remember: it’s never too late to start with change management. Need advice or support with a change initiative in your organization? Feel free to contact me at ricardo.heijmans@ashq.nl—I’d be happy to think along with you.
ASHQ is an independent consultancy firm specializing in HR Transformation, HR Technology, Change Management and Data Services.
We help organizations become future-ready by smartly aligning people, processes, and technology.
