Between technical deployment and actual adoption, there is often a gap. What is needed goes beyond tools—it requires enablement, communication, and organizational change management that puts people first. Experiences from Â鶹ԭ´´ customers show how this can succeed.

Global transformation, local anchoring as a guiding principle

Dulaan Punsag-Odefey cites a number that immediately makes the challenge tangible: 265. That is how many key users serve as change ambassadors at Hapag-Lloyd, distributed across six regions worldwide. The shipping company is one of the five largest in the world and is in the midst of an Â鶹ԭ´´ S/4HANA Finance transformation. The “Fast Forward” program affects 4,000 Â鶹ԭ´´ users in more than 140 countries.

Punsag-Odefey, organizational change management (OCM) lead at Hapag-Lloyd, explains: “Change management is anchored in our program as a strategic enabler. Not as an add-on, but as a core element.”

In practice, this means the 265 ambassadors translate global standards into local language and local practice. Controllers are expected to evolve into business partners who no longer just produce Excel spreadsheets but deliver decision-ready recommendations for sales and operations. The message to the workforce is “It will be different, but better.”

How a federal agency demonstrates effective change management

That transformation can succeed without following the textbook is demonstrated by the Bundesanstalt für Post und Telekommunikation (BAnst PT), Germany’s Federal Agency for Post and Telecommunications. The agency implemented Â鶹ԭ´´ S/4HANA in just one year: greenfield, public cloud, 1,000 affected users, go-live on January 1, 2026. In parallel, the organization moved to a new administration building with a new-work concept.

Simone Kunze, specialist in the Â鶹ԭ´´ Service Center at BAnst PT, knows the phrases that come up in every organization: “Is there an official directive for this?” or “Standard won’t work for us.” What helped was honest communication and direct moderation within business units instead of token feedback sessions.

A fit-to-standard approach replaced legacy custom solutions. Key users were developed from project experts who had already built depth through workshops, user stories, and test cases. The investment in support paid off: after go-live, dozens of thank you e-mails came in regarding the new Â鶹ԭ´´ travel expense management and Fiori apps, and survey response rates exceeded 70%.

Thilo Menges from the Medical University of Lusatia (MuL) takes this one step further. His project has a unique starting point: with 3.6 billion euros in funding, an entirely new organization is being built from scratch, including Â鶹ԭ´´ technologies. Menges makes a point that many organizations do not state this clearly: “For me, change management is an investment protection measure. This is an organizational project, and people need support in change processes.”

Change management in his project accounts for 4.3% of the total budget—the largest single line item in the Â鶹ԭ´´ contract.

Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s change management framework with its six dimensions, which MuL follows, is integrated into the Â鶹ԭ´´ Activate methodology. Particularly important are early assessments, target-group-specific communication, and the identification of trusted multipliers rather than a blanket approach.

What was also highlighted: learning does not end at go-live. Tools like WalkMe enable context-sensitive support in the flow of work, especially for infrequent processes. Enabling the organization to independently maintain and evolve these systems is critical for sustained success.

The organizations mentioned above are supported by change management consultants from Â鶹ԭ´´. More information is available .

From shadow AI to structured integration at KIT

While BAnst PT and Hapag-Lloyd are primarily transforming Â鶹ԭ´´ system landscapes, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) faces a different question: how do you get 25,000 students and 10,000 employees to use AI responsibly, instead of each person experimenting on their own in the shadows?

In 18 months, KIT made the journey from uncontrolled AI usage to an AI toolbox with governance rules. Rather than issuing bans, KIT focuses on enablement.

Andreas Sexauer from the Center for Technology-Enhanced Learning at KIT describes the approach as follows: a mandatory qualification module covers foundational knowledge and legal aspects before students and faculty gain access to the AI toolbox. In parallel, use case workshops run across departments, from leadership teams to the legal department. After the teaching rollout in April 2025, 31 didactic chatbots were created in the first seven days. Faculty configure them directly in the learning management system for their respective courses.

KIT also takes a pragmatic approach to costs: after initially providing free access, a budget cap per person per month was introduced.

What research confirms

Whether shipping company, federal agency, or university, all customers report similar patterns. Prof. Dr. Renate Osterchrist from the Munich University of Applied Sciences provides the scientific foundation: she analyzed 119 studies on the effectiveness of change interventions, examining six intervention fields: communication, support, involvement, reinforcement, social influence, and coercion. Key effectiveness factors in change include:

• Dialogue formats are more effective than one-way communication.
• Coaching for managers improves not only their leadership capability but also measurably enhances implementation competence. Coaching and peer exchange are also very beneficial for employees.
• The dimension of coercion had been under-researched until now: clarity in messaging about what behavior is expected proves helpful. Manipulation and political maneuvering, on the other hand, reduce commitment.
• The frequently cited claim that 70% of all change projects fail is not supported by current data.
• The statement “Honestly, I have never experienced a change where there was too much communication” further underscores the important role of communication.

When AI agents enter the picture, change becomes even more critical

What happens when not only new systems are introduced but AI agents take over parts of the work? This is precisely the question that arose when Joule Studio 2.0 was demonstrated live at the forum. With this solution, Â鶹ԭ´´ customers can create AI agents that access their business context: Â鶹ԭ´´ Knowledge Graph, process models, and domain knowledge. The agents are code-based and transparent. Developers describe the desired outcome in natural language; Joule Studio can generate the specification and executable code. Both no-code and pro-code approaches are possible.

The discussions that followed amongst Â鶹ԭ´´ customers and partners made clear that the change management described above will be essential here. When agents take over tasks, roles change, responsibilities shift, and the way humans and machines collaborate is transformed.

A full documentation of the Â鶹ԭ´´ Learning and Adoption Forum 2026, including videos, slides, and a chatbot, is .

Thomas Jenewein is business development manager for AI, Transformation, & Adoption Services at Â鶹ԭ´´.

Beyond the technologies being deployed, the ability to use them meaningfully in daily work is becoming central. This is also seen as the major challenge of AI adoption. Developing AI skills has thus become a strategic priority.

For Â鶹ԭ´´ customers and partners, the question is how to upskill their teams effectively. Because without the right skills and abilities, the best software is useless.

Here you’ll find seven tips for developing AI skills specifically for the Â鶹ԭ´´ context.

1. Learn the fundamentals of AI

There are many learning resources for the basics in the form of e-learning courses or webinars. Some are even free, such as many courses from Â鶹ԭ´´. We’ve compiled key : on AI in general, Joule, and Â鶹ԭ´´ Business AI, as well as the important topic of ethics and responsible AI.

2. Self-assessment: Where do I stand?

Everyone should understand the fundamentals of AI; after that, you can deepen your knowledge in targeted areas. The can help with this self-reflection. Here you can rate yourself in the areas of awareness, m, knowledge, and application skills. The topic areas include Joule, including copilot and agents; embedded AI; machine learning services on Â鶹ԭ´´ Business Technology Platform; Â鶹ԭ´´ Build and Joule Studio; responsible AI; and implementation of Â鶹ԭ´´ Business AI. First results show that many respondents show a high motivation, while technical application skills still need more improvement. 

3. Deepening by topic and role: Which AI skills are still needed?

Once you’ve assessed yourself as a team or individual, the various Â鶹ԭ´´ learning offerings—information also —can help you create your own learning plan. Looking at the relevant topic areas, your own role, and preferred learning formats makes orientation and selection easier.

4. Set learning goals and document successes

Many people find it helpful to set concrete learning goals and schedule specific learning times; for example, in their own calendar. Documenting and reflecting on learning progress and “aha” moments also helps you and others, whether through blogs on Â鶹ԭ´´ Community, a personal learning journal in digital notes, or simply verbally within your team. AI certification like for might also be a more formal way to check and document your skills.

5. Learn from and with others

In peer learning, you learn through barcamps, workshops, discussion rounds, communities, study groups, networking meetups, or promptathons, a type of hackathon where small groups solve challenges from their daily work using AI tools. Along with Â鶹ԭ´´, companies like Deutsche Telekom and Continental are already using this format.

Learning through exchange in communities—such as the with its many blogs and discussions—is another format for learning with peers. also offers numerous led by Â鶹ԭ´´ experts where you can ask questions.

6. Learn through experience and doing

With such generic technologies as AI, it’s important for everyone to explore for themselves where AI can help them and to try things hands-on. Whether in learning projects where you experiment with and reflect on new AI tools, or in team workshops. For workshops, the with templates can help—including for , , Â鶹ԭ´´ Business AI design, and Â鶹ԭ´´ Business AI exploration. Discovery and exploration should happen at the strategic level, but it’s also very helpful at the team level. The practice systems in can also assist with hands-on practice as you see Joule and embedded AI features in many training systems.

7. Regularly review and update your AI skills: How can I keep up to date?

The field of AI is evolving rapidly, so regular learning, updating, and trying out new tools is essential. Podcasts, the resources mentioned in this article, , and the diverse array of can help with this. Or why not build your own news-update agent for your own context?

Summary and outlook

AI learning in the Â鶹ԭ´´ ecosystem is a business-critical, continuous task. You only understand AI by applying it and actively engaging with it. Additionally, it’s important to adapt to these new technologies—or even to completely rethink tasks and processes. Complete a self-assessment, create a learning plan by yourself and with your peers, and book the learning offerings relevant to you today.

Thomas Jenewein is a business development manager at Â鶹ԭ´´.

In 2018, Detecon, part of Deutsche Telekom’s group of companies, started replacing its legacy ERP systems with Â鶹ԭ´´ S/4HANA Cloud Public Edition. The company was eager and committed to gaining competitive advantage through more agile processes while emphasizing its leadership in digitalization. 

For the new system migration to succeed, Detecon put together a core team. However, one of the biggest challenges in the project was ensuring the company’s customer projects were not neglected during the process and remained top priority. It quickly became clear that the resources of the core team were not always 100% available – additional support was urgently needed to keep up with the demand.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success Helps Detecon Migrate to the Cloud

Detecon needed support, mainly in the areas of finance and professional service, and relied on Â鶹ԭ´´ consulting experts working alongside Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success for additional expert guidance. It was an efficient combo, .

Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success is a service that can provide a full, personalized set of guidance resources, including proactive release guidance, regular success checks, tailored learning offerings, enhanced service-level agreements, and access to an exclusive catalog of value-add services – all designed to help make the transition to the cloud as smooth as possible.

Effective Collaboration Between Detecon and Â鶹ԭ´´

To proceed with the cloud migration, Detecon engaged in weekly meetings with the Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success team to discuss and determine areas that needed more attention. During this time, a customer success partner from Â鶹ԭ´´ evaluated Detecon’s adoption of the software, made required recommendations for further improvement, and remained accessible as an Â鶹ԭ´´ point-of-contact to answer questions and provide overall guidance.

Moving to the cloud requires expertise and a well-thought-out strategy. It is paramount to allocate enough time for the planning phase, put together a stable project team, and have additional expert guidance on hand to support when the required expertise is not available in-house.

Interested in Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success? Schedule an appointment with your account executive or visit the .

This article originally appeared on the German Â鶹ԭ´´ News Center.

When you move to the cloud, a few things change in your daily life. For example, you will see regular changes to the user interface or new functionalities released at a regular cadence, which is quite different from when your end users are used to an on-premise solution. Therefore, your organization needs a different support model, too. Employees require more training and technical and organizational change management strategies.

And that’s what  is designed for: to help you take an advanced step toward the adoption of cloud software in a simpler, faster, safer way. The offering can be an always-there companion to help you work in cloud solutions from Â鶹ԭ´´ and help make you more successful – for example, through increased productivity and more efficient business processes. In a nutshell, it can be your helpful guidance and support model for working in the digital environment.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success Offers Ongoing Support 

Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success can deliver a wide range of guidance to support businesses in running as efficiently as possible in the cloud through continuous access to subject-matter experts when a roadblock or simple question arises. In addition, Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success can deliver an adoption strategy plan tailored to your exact business goals. You can benefit from regular success checks and analyses to help optimize your use of Â鶹ԭ´´ software. Your Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success customer success partner can identify new functions, so-called key features, that may be worth adopting based on your solution goals.

But the offering goes even further to help Â鶹ԭ´´ customers utilize Â鶹ԭ´´ software to its full potential. The custom-tailored plan can provide accelerated access to cloud services and advice on the latest functional features that might be of interest to your business. Last but certainly not least, the service can offer ongoing learning opportunities for end users and solution administrators, as well as change management support from Â鶹ԭ´´ experts. This also can include enhanced service-level agreement targets, including priority processing of select support requests. 

Achieve Benefits with Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success

Many organizations already rely on guidance from Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success. These include , Europe’s leading photo service provider , specialty chemicals company , and the .

, quantified Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success benefits for a composite organization comprised of 254 participating businesses. Benefits included:

• 10% faster implementation
• 24% boost in productivity by reducing more than 50% of incident tickets
• 25% time savings in release management
• 30% improvement to business process efficiency

Designed to Accompany Â鶹ԭ´´ Customers in the Cloud

Moving to the cloud can be a challenge. That’s why the offering includes change management to help accelerate the transition and make it as efficient and sustainable as possible.

However, the plan can also help Â鶹ԭ´´ customers already working in the cloud utilize cloud solutions from Â鶹ԭ´´ to their full potential. For example, regular success checks and recommendations for newly released functionalities in Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success can be useful even to an experienced solution administrator.

Access Continuous Training with Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success

With Â鶹ԭ´´ Preferred Success, solution administrators and power users can receive ongoing learning opportunities through exclusive access to , our digital learning program. The offer is valid for five users, up to 100 hours and two attempts to achieve Â鶹ԭ´´ solution certifications.

Want to learn more? Schedule an appointment with your account manager or visit

This article originally appeared on Â鶹ԭ´´ News Center Germany.