Workday Position Management Implementation: Five Change Management Lessons for Lasting Adoption

When organizations shift from Job Management to Position Management in Workday, the temptation is to view it as a system configuration exercise. However, Position Management is much more than that. It is a fundamental change in how the business operates.

Done right, it creates visibility into every role, streamlines staffing decisions, and gives leaders more control over workforce planning. And doing it right is essential! We have seen that when Position Management is done poorly, it can lead to stalled adoption, inaccurate data, and frustrated managers.

Good data requires more than system configuration. It requires strong adoption, which requires intentional change management. 

Position Management transformations are multi-year, enterprise-wide initiatives that cross HR, Finance, Talent, and other core business operations. With extended timelines, broad stakeholder impact, and interdependent processes, friction points are inevitable. The difference between a successful rollout and a stalled one often comes down to how well you anticipate and address those challenges before and after launch.

# Five Change Management Lessons from Enterprise Workday Position Management

As a Workday Advisory Partner, we’ve supported multiple Position Management transformations for global enterprises and have seen the same issues emerge time and again. Below are the lessons we’ve taken away from those common pitfalls.

# 1. Lead with Why

Position Management reshapes how hiring, budgeting, and organizational decisions get made. It reaches beyond HR into IT, tech, finance, and data functions. To make it work, everyone impacted should be able to clearly answer: “Why are we doing this?” That answer needs to be anchored in business value, not system features.

For example: 

• Leaders might connect the “why” to workforce visibility, cost control, or faster, data-backed staffing decisions. 
• Managers might connect it to clarity on open positions, simpler hiring approvals, and fewer budget surprises.

When the “why” is defined and tailored for different audiences, it becomes the throughline for communications, training, and reinforcement. Without it, the purpose gets buried under process, and resistance starts to build before go-live.

# 2. Role Design is the Make-or-Break

If the “why” gives Position Management its purpose, role design gives it its guardrails. Without clarity on who owns what in the system, Position Management can quickly become a free-for-all with no accountability for data integrity.

The most successful implementations start with proper role mapping and governance before any configuration is built. That means:

• Defining exactly who can create, edit, and approve positions.
• Limiting access so only the right people can make changes.
• Establishing clear escalation and approval paths for exceptions.

In one client project, more than 4,000 managers had responsibilities in Position Management. Before configuration, we mapped exactly who could create, edit, and approve positions. That governance plan became a clear, visual approval matrix shared across the organization, preventing duplicate records and confusion during go-live.

Change management is critical here: governance decisions must be communicated, reinforced, and supported through training, job aids, and in-system guidance so they’re consistently followed and adapted over time.

# 3. Managers Are Your Champions

Of all the roles you define, none is more critical to adoption than managers. They are the primary stewards of position data. Once they understand their role in the bigger picture, the focus shifts to equipping them to succeed.

Managers are often the ones creating, updating, and approving position records, which means data quality rests heavily on them. When that data is inaccurate or outdated, it can cause hiring delays, budget misalignments, and planning challenges.

Turning managers into champions takes more than initial training. They need the tools, resources, and reinforcement to manage positions accurately and confidently over time:

• Tailored training for the actions and decisions they make in the system.
• Just-in-time support through embedded guidance and walk-throughs in Workday.
• On-demand resources so they can refresh knowledge when needed.

In one client rollout, we designed short, role-specific video walkthroughs embedded directly into Workday. Managers who only touch the system a few times a year could quickly refresh their knowledge in the moment, keeping position data accurate without slowing their own work.

When managers have the right support and see the benefits for their own teams — smoother hiring, better budget visibility, fewer process bottlenecks — they’re far more likely to advocate for the system, protect data quality, and model adoption behaviors across the organization.

# 4. Think Downstream from Day One

Position Management decisions ripple into recruiting, security, budgeting, reporting, and beyond. The people in these functions can become some of your strongest champions if engaged early, or your biggest critics if brought in too late.

If downstream partners aren’t included from the start, you risk bottlenecks, misalignments, and rework that erode adoption:

• Recruiting is unable to post jobs because positions aren’t approved.
• Finance discovers budget gaps when headcount reports don’t match actual positions.
• Security access issues arise when role data isn’t mapped correctly.

The solution is early, deliberate involvement. Bring recruiting, finance, and IT security in during the design phase. Give them visibility into configuration decisions, listen to their dependencies, and incorporate their requirements before finalizing. This prevents costly fixes later and fosters advocacy. When downstream teams see their input valued, they become champions who reinforce the change within their networks.

From a change management perspective, this is about building a coalition of support before launch. Cross-functional engagement turns downstream partners from late-stage critics into early-stage allies who influence adoption well beyond their own teams.

# 5. Measure, Adapt, Reinforce

Go-live isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting point for sustained adoption. Momentum can fade without ongoing monitoring.

Measuring adoption gives you the visibility to spot issues early and act before behaviors slip.

Use metrics that reflect whether the system is delivering its intended value:

• Process accuracy – Are position changes and approvals done right the first time?
• Manager engagement – Are champions using the tools and reports as intended?
• Training utilization – Are resources accessed when and where they’re needed?

In one client program, adoption data revealed that one region was lagging. Targeted reinforcement, like refreshed training, updated resources, and local champion support, closed the adoption gap within weeks.

Tracking and acting on these signals keep Position Management relevant, accurate, and valuable well beyond launch.

Related Content: Change Analytics: Using Data to Guide Change Management Strategy

# If You’ve Already Started and It’s Not Going Well

Even with strong planning, Position Management rollouts can hit rough water. If adoption is lagging or data quality is slipping, it’s not too late to course correct.

Key moves to regain control:

1. Re-ground in the Why – Remind stakeholders of the business value.
2. Re-map Governance – Revisit and clarify the role matrix to remove bottlenecks
3. Activate Champions – Bring key influential partners together to resocialize the purpose through targeted workshops.
4. Show Quick Wins with Data – Share tangible improvements or efficiency gains to rebuild confidence.

The faster you act, the sooner adoption stabilizes and the stronger the foundation for future enhancements.

# Looking Ahead

Position Management success isn’t defined by go-live; it’s defined by how well the business owns and uses it in the months and years that follow.

Getting it right now lays the groundwork for more advanced capabilities, from unified workforce planning to AI-enabled forecasting and skills-based strategies.

By leading with the “why,” clarifying roles, engaging managers, thinking downstream, and reinforcing with data, organizations can turn Position Management from a technical upgrade into a lasting business advantage.

If you’re planning or recovering from a Position Management rollout, Propeller can help. As an official Workday Advisory Partner, we bridge the gap between business needs and technical execution, helping clients design, implement, and optimize Position Management in a way that sticks. Connect with us to see how Propeller can support your Workday initiative with practical guidance, strategic clarity, and hands-on partnership.