Many organizations are currently undergoing an SAP S/4HANA transformation, and some are already investing in AI technology. But how do new technologies actually work in day-to-day operations?
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 SAP 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 SAP S/4HANA Finance transformation. The “Fast Forward” program affects 4,000 SAP 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.”
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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 SAP 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 SAP 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 SAP 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 SAP 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 SAP contract.
SAP’s change management framework with its six dimensions, which MuL follows, is integrated into the SAP 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 SAP. More information is available here.
From shadow AI to structured integration at KIT
While BAnst PT and Hapag-Lloyd are primarily transforming SAP 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.
Three fields of action
Across all examples, three patterns emerge:
1. Enablement before, during, and after deployment: Key users, business leads, and other stakeholders must be involved early. They are the change multipliers.
2. Local ownership matters: Global standards work when local teams take responsibility. This applies to shipping companies operating in 140 countries just as much as to federal agencies.
3. Embed and support AI in a structured way: Qualification, governance, and business context are more effective than generic tools. With multi-agent systems, we are still at the beginning.
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, SAP customers can create AI agents that access their business context: SAP 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 SAP 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 SAP Learning and Adoption Forum 2026, including videos, slides, and a chatbot, is available on SAP Community.
Thomas Jenewein is business development manager for AI, Transformation, & Adoption Services at SAP.
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