Image: Anko Stoffels | Illustration: Studio van Laar | This article appears in: CHRO Magazine.
It is no surprise that Shimano’s European headquarters is in the Netherlands – bicycle country par excellence. The past few years were peak years, as the explosive demand for bicycles during the corona crisis left bicycle manufacturers rattling Shimano’s gate for components.
This is where I can combine my passion for cycling with my job.
In our country, some 400 employees work for Shimano, including Maarten Horbach, HR Director Shimano Europe. Horbach studied public administration and started his career as a trainee at ORMIT and then worked in sales, finance and HR at Ericsson, Accenture, ASML, Microsoft and Innogy, among others.
“When I saw the vacancy of HR Director at Shimano, I was immediately excited. This was where I could combine my passion for cycling with my job. Moreover, the international aspect of the job appealed to me.” He previously worked in Sweden and Germany, among other places.
A need for one system
Horbach started at Shimano in September 2019, with the following mission: streamlining HR processes in Europe. An integrated HRIT system was missing, several separate systems for payroll were being used, there was an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), and a stand-alone time management tool.
” It was clear with the growth we were experiencing and the need from Japan to become more data-driven, that we needed one system in which to house all HR processes. There was a need for more structure and insight.
We wanted to be able to use the data in all HR-related processes and have one overview within Europe instead of tying together different data sources. The goal is to be able to have faster and more direct management using the HR data we can now build.”
We didn’t want a ‘best of breed’ solution but one system.
Other reasons for looking for a central HRIT system for Europe were wanting to introduce uniformity on definitions for Europe and be able to apply it in processes, such as the job catalog. “In addition, good follow-up was needed for our performance management system that was end-of-life.”
As Japan itself was not yet working with one all-encompassing system, Horbach and his team set out to find a system that suited Shimano Europe. “We didn’t want a best of breed solution but one system, so we didn’t have to link all kinds of systems together or duplicate work when we wanted to merge data,” he explains. After an extensive selection process, they finally chose Workday.
Insufficient in-house expertise
During the rollout of Workday, which was done together with an implementation partner, Shimano discovered that it did not have sufficient in-house expertise to take on the coordination of the integration, technical and user testing, within the set deadlines.
The Europe-HR Director went looking for a partner who could guide the company toward go-live with test management, among other things. He met Bas Eggelaar, founder, and Managing Director of SuccessDay.
SuccessDay, like us, is a fast-growing company.
“Bas turned out to be an avid cyclist, so there was an instant match. They were also in Eindhoven, and the fact that they are flexible and have Workday expertise in different areas and disciplines in-house was the deciding factor. And SuccessDay is, like us, a fast-growing company,” Horbach clarified.
SuccessDay initially helped test several modules of Workday: Core, Recruitment, Learning, Performance Management, Talent Management, and Advanced Compensation. The implementation went with a big bang for all countries. In addition, SuccessDay was engaged for go-live support around the July 1, 2022 —the go-live of Workday.
Subsequently, it also got to provide the AMS (Application Managed Services). “In the AMS, we have access to consultants from SuccessDay, depending on the issues, or new developments we want to do in Workday. Sometimes it’s because we don’t have the expertise, sometimes because we are short of time. SuccessDay adds brainpower to Shimano.”
Finally, through SuccessDay, Shimano was also able to deploy an interim operations manager with Workday experience.
HR isn’t rocket science
Shimano was particularly looking for flexibility. Horbach: “At our company things move fast, and we are not 100 percent mature yet. So, you really need that flexibility, and SuccessDay was able to provide that. For example, we were rather late in applying for AMS.
We compared several companies and SuccessDay was able to move quickly. They got the job just four weeks before go-live and ended up having it up and running just fine. The go-live proceeded without a flood of issues.”
“We are operating increasingly as one team.”
Further down the road, as expected with the deployment, questions arise from (super) users. Therefore, Shimano has appointed a system owner, who collects and prioritizes the questions first.
“We had to manage governance tightly. But one learns by doing,” laughs Horbach. The HR Director finds that his team and SuccessDay’s consultants are getting along more and more, “We are operating increasingly as one team. Without SuccessDay’s help, things would have gone awry now and again when using the system.”
Vanilla strategy
If Shimano had approached it the traditional way—standardize and optimize processes and data first and then go for the HRIT implementation—they would have been about five years down the road, according to Horbach. And they didn’t have that kind of time. So, it became a vanilla strategy: a stripped-down, uncomplicated implementation.
“Now it is time to optimize the data and processes, tweak them, and engage in change management. For example, we have not been able to fully implement some templates fully, so it is still basic here and there.”
In future, Shimano plans to develop the system further. With the Performance Management module, the first cycle is now being completed, after which the process can be further optimized based on experience. ” This is another area where we are using SuccessDay’s expertise,” says Shimano.
Greater focus on change management
His biggest concern is getting the end user on board. “That’s still a tough challenge. HR is excited and sees the added value. But the end users smust get used to it. There is still quite a bit of resistance to some aspects. For example, employees suddenly having to do more by themselves and not knowing how the system works.”
Over the past few years there have been several virtual sessions (full implementation was during the pandemic) on change management, as well as offered group training. In addition, extensive documentation has been provided.
“With some users, we will really have to be sitting alongside them to guide them through it step by step. People who are not used to such systems go from 0 to 100 all at once, so I understand that they are not accustomed to it yet.”
We have made giant strides, but are still at the beginning
Also high on his wish list are data cleansing and better reporting and dashboarding. “The groundwork is in place, but we are far from finished. We have already made giant strides, but we are still at the beginning,” Horbach knows.
“I am enormously proud of what we have achieved together. Of course, it wasn’t always easy, and more than enough things went wrong. It took a big toll on the department. The way we did this was ultimately an effective way to get it done. We pulled this off in record time, and we couldn’t have done it without our reliable partners and the superb efforts of our people.”
Becoming part of an ongoing process
The main lesson learned for SuccessDay during this project was the importance of asserting a stronger position during consultations with the implementation partner. In hindsight, a more proactive approach might have delivered even more value to the customer. However, joining a project mid-stream presented challenges, as the team first needed time to fully understand the existing context.
Thanks to the new HRIT system, Shimano has already gained valuable insights into various HR-related areas. With improved access to data and analytics, the organization is now better positioned to make informed strategic decisions in the near future.
A bike ride creates a perfect setting for doing business.
Shimano will, of course, take part in the annual bike ride for SuccessDay customers. Horbach: “Cycling has become the new golf. During the finish it is often difficult to network, especially when there is some real racing going on, but afterwards everyone is euphoric, and the atmosphere is very open and enthusiastic. A perfect setting for doing business.”
