Educational work: the best of the best

The phone call came as a surprise. The statement was logical for me: it doesn't work without education! The acceptance of IT for digital change depends on knowledge about this IT. Good service, good products and good prices are necessary, but not sufficient for sustainable success.

An SAP partner called the E-3 editorial team and asked for an "educational work" concept for its product. It is a very successful and long-standing SAP partner that has now reached the limits of growth.

Classic marketing tools such as price reduction, advertising, events remain relevant. In a complex community, however, the decision-maker needs more than just good standards.

The foundation for digital transformation has been laid. Products, tools and services are ready, as everyone can see for themselves at this year's DSAG Congress. But the existing SAP customer needs more!

Digital transformation requires visions, concepts and roadmaps. The existing customer needs proof of concepts, best practice, references and trust.

Communication and educational work can create this trust and convey the strategy. This communication takes place on the following pages: Know-how should flow from the source, the SAP partners, to the sink, the existing SAP customers.

All in all, it is educational work, because preparing and writing these specialist articles involves considerable work, but also because reading, reflecting on and understanding them requires special work.

The digital transformation is a challenge that cannot be overcome without hard work. As an individual user, you should organize help for this. However, the first step is to collect and utilize information.

The aforementioned caller to the E-3 editorial team has now planned precisely this first step. Here, educational work is about raising awareness, telling stories, demonstrating solutions and also communication between providers and users.

This educational work is not only necessary, but also sustainable, because new things can emerge from it. The transfer of knowledge, the exchange of information and cross-divisional communication open the view for something new. Perspectives and visions change through educational work, which is why it is also sustainable: knowledge generates knowledge.

The learning opportunities and educational initiatives presented on the following pages are intended to motivate people to engage with the topic of digital transformation. These specialist articles are the starting point for further communication.

The DSAG Congress is a good platform for the exchange of opinions, learning opportunities, educational work and knowledge transfer. The E-3 platform (online and print) continuously supports existing SAP customers in exploring the right strategies and roadmaps.

Without this work, the digital transformation cannot succeed either internally or externally (see also the exclusive interview with SAP Executive Board member Christian Klein in this issue).

It clearly states what efforts are necessary to master the challenges of digital change - and that these efforts go far beyond IT and a technical release change. Learning from the best can start here.