SAPinsider Technology Executive Forum Issue 1 2021

more efficient and grow the availability of automa- tion solutions. People Hold the Key to Transformation Success People, enabled by technology, will drive innovation and success moving forward, and remote working and isolation have placed employee health, well-being, and motivation at the center of leaders’ priorities. Most executives that we interviewed reaffirmed that the current environment has tested their leadership skills and forced them to adapt their approach. In fact, issues such as hiring, retention, motivation, training, and change management were among the top chal- lenges cited by our executive community ( Figure 4 ). “A largely remote workforce is something none of us were prepared for, and in 2021, we are still a virtual workforce,” says Michele D’Alessandro, VP and CIO of Manufacturing IT at Merck & Co. “In 2020, productivity levels were really high, but it has been less than ideal in terms of human interaction,” she explains. “Work and home are so integrated that it’s difficult to draw healthy boundaries and it’s easy to get into a situation where neither situation is healthy.” To manage through these challenges, many CIOs and other executives are adopting consistent practices of communication, health check-ins, and forming more committees comprised of director and mid-level workers and project teams to ensure E-commerce Finance Supply Chain Sales Figure 3 —Top functional investments (2021) SAPinsiderOnline.com 11