10 hours ago
Act & Transact: The Frontline's Role in Enterprise Success - Episode #127 - Anna Karousis
In this episode of Frontline Innovators, host Justin Lake welcomes Anna Karousis, Senior Director of Change Management with more than 15 years of experience helping organizations navigate complex technology and process change. Together, they unpack why frontline technology initiatives so often fail to deliver on their promised ROI, and what leaders can do differently to drive real adoption, trust, and long-term value. 
Anna brings a grounded, frontline-first perspective to change management, challenging common assumptions about automation, efficiency, and “go-live” success. This conversation is especially relevant for leaders responsible for large, distributed frontline teams who are expected to modernize operations while keeping the business running.
Key Points to Listen For:
The Hidden Cost of Poor Adoption:
Anna explains how failed adoption erodes not just financial ROI, but “people ROI”, damaging trust, confidence, and engagement among frontline workers. Why Automation Isn’t the Answer: The discussion reframes automation as a “dirty word” when applied to broken processes, emphasizing the importance of fixing workflows before digitizing them.
Measuring What Actually Matters:
Justin and Anna explore why organizations stop measuring ROI after implementation, and how defining success beyond “on time and on budget” changes outcomes. Frontline Reality vs. Leadership Assumptions: From technology literacy gaps to fear of making mistakes in enterprise systems, Anna shares real-world examples that highlight the disconnect between design decisions and frontline experience.
The Importance of Time in Change:
They break down why productivity dips are normal after go-live, why leaders must plan for them, and how setting realistic expectations builds trust. Super Users and Unspoken Leaders: Anna discusses the critical role of frontline influencers and change champions, and how investing in them can dramatically increase adoption and feedback loops.
“Act and Transact”: A Simple Phrase for a Complex Problem:
Anna introduces a powerful concept that captures the frontline challenge of modern enterprise systems: doing the work isn’t enough unless it’s accurately transacted in the system. Tune in for a thoughtful, practical conversation on what it really takes to make frontline technology investments successful—without disrupting the business or burning out the people who keep it running.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/B5shttps://youtu.be/Ek2A8FkudbYbH7YrXtA
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2Y4Vjf3X97AXc5Re4TwIjq?si=_n4-Isq-TmmjxpJdQ4gH6w
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/act-transact-the-frontlines-role-in-enterprise/id1572329402?i=1000747020374
Anna's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annakarousis/
Find more episodes of Frontline Innovators at https://www.skyllful.com/podcast
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