How SAP’s legal team connected vision to action

SAP is a global leader in enterprise application software and business artificial intelligence (AI), helping organizations across 157+ countries run better and improve people’s lives. With over 109,000 employees worldwide, SAP supports business-critical operations across finance, procurement, HR, supply chain and customer experience.  SAP’s global legal department, a 450-strong team found itself at a pivotal moment. Despite being operationally robust and deeply embedded in the business, the team was struggling to align on a shared vision. Their goals were ambitious, but the path to achieving them was unclear. The daily demands of business-as-usual left little room to reflect, prioritize, or plan for the future.

During a candid discussion between Freek Stähr, SAP Legal’s Head of Regulatory Affairs, Tech Law & Operations, and Felix Rackwitz, Partner, Law, Ernst & Young Law GmbH Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, a moment of clarity emerged. “We’re not getting from A to B because we’re too busy running,” Freek remarked. It was a simple yet powerful reflection — a call to pause, reflect, and realign.

SAP engaged EY to help them step back and reimagine what their legal function could become. The goal wasn’t just to define a vision, it was to co-create one that felt real, actionable and shared across the leadership team. SAP aimed to develop a forward-thinking, long-term vision for the legal function one that aligns with the company’s evolving needs and future direction. But doing so meant balancing strategic foresight with the pressing demands of day-to-day operations.

To support this transformation, EY teams proposed a “Legal Function of the Future” EY wavespace experience — an immersive, facilitated session designed to help teams collaborate and solve complex challenges faster. EY wavespace uses innovative approaches and diverse perspectives to break down barriers, accelerate transformation, and create actionable outcomes.

EY began by listening. To build a clear understanding before entering the EY wavespace, the team conducted 21 in-depth interviews with the SAP legal leaders and a nuanced picture emerged: a team ready to shift from reactive to proactive, from fragmented to aligned. The conversations surfaced a wide range of perspectives shaped by geography, function, and experience and EY made it a point to ask thoughtful, probing questions that uncovered both challenges and opportunities and the insights gathered became the foundation for the session.

Held in person at SAP 'AppHaus' (Heidelberg, Germany) the session brought together global legal leaders in a space designed for co-creation. It wasn’t about presentations or top-down strategies. It was about making space for honest dialogue, surfacing what mattered most, and aligning on a path forward together.

“We didn’t come in with a standard playbook, we listened first, and that made all the difference,” says Felix Rackwitz.

Insights from the interviews were anonymized, harmonized and presented neutrally to foster open discussion, allowing to distinguish between recurring complaints and actionable insights. The strategic priorities that were derived over the period of three weeks were visualized on a collaborative Miro board — a digital workspace used for mapping ideas, aligning teams, and enabling real-time co-creation, setting the stage for an immersive EY wavespace experience. This process not only clarified our objectives but also helped build strong relationships between the teams.

The EY wavespace experience was more than a workshop, it was a catalyst for transformation. Designed to move beyond abstract ambition, the session helped SAP Legal translate complexity into clarity, and vision into action. 

Over two immersive days, the 16 global leaders from SAP Legal team engaged in a structured, design-thinking-driven journey. The environment purpose-built for creativity and collaboration enabled participants to shift from their day-to-day business and engage deeply with the future of their function.

The facilitation brought together a cross-functional team, including legal transformation experts, people consultants, and regional leads from both Europe and the US. This hybrid structure ensured the session was globally relevant while being deeply attuned to SAP’s specific context particularly its significant footprint in the US. Leveraging insights from previous transformation projects, the team focused not on external benchmarks, but on identifying internal levers SAP could activate to drive meaningful change. AI use cases were also explored, helping participants consider how emerging technologies could support and scale their transformation journey.

The first day focused on visioning, led by Heidi C. Stenberg, EY Global Legal Transformation (LTO) Leader, who focused on shaping an outlook that balanced the legal team’s priorities and goals. By exploring concept based versus quality based vision statements, drawing on anonymized insights from prior interviews and leveraging generative AI (GenAI) tools, participants co-developed a compelling vision for SAP Legal in 2028. The vision wasn’t a generic statement, it was a reflection of the team’s aspirations, grounded in their unique context. The process encouraged deep reflection, helping participants articulate not just what they wanted to achieve, but why it mattered. 

On the second day, the group shifted from vision to execution. Through a structured methodology, the team broke down the vision into clear objectives, then into Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Timebound (SMART) goals. These goals were further unpacked into enablers, blockers, ownership roles, and concrete projects. The approach emphasized granularity and accountability, using techniques like the “8 why” method — a layered questioning approach that explores underlying causes by repeatedly asking 'why' to reach deeper insights and clarity.

What made the session particularly powerful was the openness in the room. The first day of the session aimed to build trust within the group and encourage open conversations. Participants engaged in honest, sometimes difficult conversations. Diverse perspectives across regions, roles, and experiences were welcomed and essential to shaping a strategy that felt inclusive and actionable.

The outcome was not a slide deck or a theoretical framework. It was a shared understanding of where the legal function is headed, and a roadmap to get there. Each SMART goal was assigned clear ownership, and participants left with a sense of direction and responsibility.

“The true game of this EY wavespace session wasn't just brainstorming. It was about orchestrating that jump from fragmented discussions to a unified, actionable plan. We wrestled with diverse global perspectives, confronted complex political realities, and then, critically, we forged those breakthrough dialogues into measurable next steps. That's where the real magic was and the biggest grind,” said Annika Gatzemeier, Senior Manager, EY wavespace.

The session built a vision for what SAP Legal could become and laid the foundation for how to get there, together.

The impact of the EY wavespace experience extended far beyond the session itself. What began as a moment of alignment evolved into a movement of transformation one that continues to ripple across SAP Legal and beyond.

With a clear vision and a roadmap in hand, SAP’s legal leadership emerged not only aligned, but empowered. The co-created goals gave the team confidence in execution, while the clarity of ownership and next steps enabled a shift from passive planning to proactive transformation. Leaders left with renewed energy and a shared sense of purpose that could be cascaded across teams and regions.

The effects were immediate and tangible. Stronger relationships were forged with SAP’s General Counsel and leadership, and four new workstreams were opened. EY was engaged for an 18-month transformation enablement journey, with a dedicated team tailored to SAP’s needs. What stood out most was the trust built even among the most sceptical stakeholders positioning EY not just as a consultant, but as a creative, long-term partner.

Internally, the session sparked a mindset shift. Participants began to see their role not just as legal advisors, but as architects of SAP’s future. Strategic priorities such as becoming a recognized business partner, improving access to legal information, and driving economic value were identified and are now shaping internal operations and external relationships alike.

“The EY wavespace workshop was huge success for our team. We managed to create a very good midterm vision, broke that down into the key objectives, and put some goals underneath. Based on the great work with EY, we are much more confident than in the past that this time we will get it right,”  said Gabriel Harnier, General Counsel, SAP SE.

For EY, the experience offered a rare window into the inner workings of a global legal function. It validated the power of immersive facilitation, the importance of listening first, and the value of tailoring solutions to client readiness. The approach is now being replicated across industries, proving that when co-creation is done right, it doesn’t just solve problems it builds momentum.

“Our client is confidently shaping the future of their legal function through a strategic vision and roadmap anchored in relevant industry insights, the enterprise's overarching strategic goals, a thorough understanding of the current state of the legal department, and collaborative efforts among the global leadership team. They are dedicated to implementing meaningful changes that will empower their legal team to drive enterprise value for SAP on a global scale,” said Stenberg.

The better the world works isn’t just about solving today’s challenges it’s about empowering teams to shape tomorrow. And for SAP Legal, that future is already in motion.