Reasons behind ERP package adoption: a diffusion of innovations perspective

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) packages have been widely adopted and it is becoming clear that this is driven by multiple rationales that may be simultaneously at odds and complimentary. In this paper, we aim to develop a greater understanding of these rationales by taking ERP packages to be innovations and analysing their adoption with reference to the theory of diffusion of innovations. In particular, we consider the attributes of ERP packages that may affect their adoption such as relative advantage, compatibility, complexiblity, trialability and observability. We argue that users’ perceptions of these attributes are not always accurate and these ’misconceptions’ can further explain reasons for ERP adoption or rejection. Although our analysis aims to provide rich insights into the adoption of ERP packages, the results of the study are arguably of further interest to the more general study of packaged software and the more established literature on custom development

Business Process Re-design in Enterprise Systems Projects: Radical and Evolutionary Change

Business Process Re-design is a major component of an Enterprise Systems (ES) implementation. Organizations adopting ES systems face the dilemma of deciding the degree of changes to their existing business process and or changes to the ES package. This paper explores the nature and process of business process re-design efforts of an organization that had successfully implemented an ES packaged solution. This change encountered by the firm is viewed through the lens “Alternate Change Theories” established by Jarvenppa and Stoddard in terms of business process re-design. Results from the in-depth case study challenge the notion Business Process Reengineering (a radical form of change) in the context of ES implementations and also provides evidence as to why the business process re-design in ES implementations cannot be decoupled into two distinct phases i.e. design phase and implementation phase

Enterprise Resource Planning and Organizational Knowledge: Patterns of Convergence and Divergence

This paper describes a qualitative research project involving a case study that was analyzed using grounded theory and cognitive mapping. It contributes to a theory that describes the impact of enterprise resource planning (ERP) on organizational knowledge. ERP systems produce effects that make business knowledge become more focused or “convergent” from the perspective of the organization and more wide-ranging or “divergent” from the perspective of the individual. Other important effects include changes to the organization’s core competencies and changes in the risk profile regarding the loss of organizational knowledge

Organizational Transition to Enterprise Resource Planning Systems: Theoretical Choices for Process Research

The number of organizations implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions is rapidly increasing. Transition to ERP systems is often combined with a business process reengineering effort and intended to produce radical organizational change. Prior to conducting research on ERP transition, researchers need to become aware of the theoretical choices available to guide their studies. In this paper, three dimensions of process theories used to explain organizational change are identified: form, motor, and theoretical content. Whereas form deals mainly with the amount and frequency of change, motor refers to the mechanisms explaining how and why change unfolds, and theoretical content consists of specific constructs and their interactions that produce change. In order to make complete theoretical choices, researchers should consider all three dimensions of change in the design of their research. The three dimensions are combined in a framework that can guide research on ERP-related organizational transition. 1

A Methodology for Evaluating Data and Output Misfits in Commercial Off-The-Shelf ERP Systems

This paper presents a methodology based on the task-technology fit theory to identify data and output misfits in the ex-ante evaluation of an off-the shelf enterprise resources planning (ERP) package. The proposed methodology consists of two stages: output misfit analysis and data misfit analysis. The purpose of the first stage is to identify corresponding field (output misfits) and data glossary for data misfit analysis. The latter stage identifies data misfits for every corresponding activity in the business process sequence. The proposed methodology provides a systematic approach to alleviate the difficulty and complexity in identifying data and output misfits. The identification results identify where the misfits are and provide a degree of mismatch, thus providing a practical basis for ERP tool selection to reduce the risk of failure in its implementation

TRANSLATING ES-EMBEDDED INSTITUTIONAL LOGICS THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL FRAMING: AN INDIAN-BASED CASE EXAMPLE

In this paper we explore how the implementation of an Enterprise System (ES) is related to organizational change, using an institutional theory lens. Our paper responds to recent calls by institutional theorists to first, better understand the ways in which macro, field-level logics of action are framed and applied in micro practices within an organization and second, to understand how material objects contribute to institutional stability and change. Our findings show the interplay between macro logics and the process of local framing through which these logics become locally interpreted, leading eventually to new institutionalized practices. Our study suggests the possibility of co-mingling contrasting and competing logics in the local context. We do this through the interpretive exploration of a rich case study of an ES implementation in India. This is an ideal case to examine because the institutional logic inscribed in the ES is developed within one organizational field, but is applied in a very different organizational field, thus allowing us to explore the macro-micro dynamics as well as the role of technology as a carrier and stabilizer of institutional structures and practices

The Dual Role of IS Specificity in Governing Software as a Service

This study addresses the theoretically neglected role of information system (IS) specificity for application governance, by referring to the allocation of application-related decision authority and task responsibility between business and IT units. Based on the premise of organizational and technical ‘embedding’ and employing a transaction cost theoretic (TCT) lens, we develop the idea that customization and greater functional specificity of an IS lead to both more business unit governance through higher human asset specificity and more IT unit governance through higher technical specificity. Survey data from 76 organizations using different types of Software as a Service provide support for these ideas. Our results unveil a new dualism for explaining IT governance phenomena on the application level. Furthermore, we demonstrate a relevant appropriation of the frequency construct from TCT to this context. Besides practical implications, we outline contributions to IT governance, transaction cost, and IT artifact theories in the IS field

Revue de littérature et Benchmark des facteurs clés de succès de l’implémentation d’un ERP : cas de la Jordanie, la Chine et la Belgique

A travers cette contribution, nous cherchons à explorer les facteurs qui déterminent le succès des projets d’implémentation de PGI en entreprises. Sur la base de l’analyse de contributions disparates, notre article se focalise sur un benchmark des facteurs clés de succès de l’implémentation d’un ERP dans trois pays à caractéristiques démographiques, culturelles et économiques distinctes : la Jordanie, la Chine et la Belgique. Outre une revue de la littérature assez riche sur la thématique, l'objectif principal de cette recherche est de comprendre s'il existe des points de ressemblance ou de divergence dans les FCS, dans les trois études analysées, pouvant impacter la réussite des projets de mise en œuvre des ERP. Notre benchmark fait ressortir le management du changement, la précision des données intégrées dans le PGI, la composition de l’équipe projet et le support du Top Management comme des FCS transversaux entre les trois pays. Seule la Jordanie se distingue par des FCS spécifiques

A importância do funcionamento multidisciplinar e colaborativo na gestão de cadeias de abastecimento

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialA evolução da competitividade empresarial/organizacional promove de uma forma (in)direta novas formas de gestão da cadeia de abastecimento, modelos colaborativos e a respetiva multidisciplinaridade. Nesta conjuntura, surgem como oportunidade de negócio para as empresas/organizações conduzirem, ou mesmo a serem conduzidas, para serem mais competitivas e diferenciadas das demais. Estes funcionamentos e modelos colaborativos e multidisciplinares, são cada vez mais comuns e, a sua aplicabilidade deve ser equacionada pela mais-valia que poderá proporcionar aos clientes e/ou parceiros. No contexto do presente trabalho de investigação surge a Empresa A como Fourth-Party Logistics que, através de Modelo Colaborativo e Multidisciplinar, encontra benefícios finais interessantes, mas é necessário ter em consideração as dificuldades e desafios enfrentados na sua negociação, adoção e implementação, nomeadamente na redefinição das atividades internas, no próprio Business Process Redesign, na complexidade da Operação e, naturalmente, na resistência à mudança. Na gestão de cadeias de abastecimento, deve-se assegurar com a máxima eficácia e eficiência, as relações entre todos os parceiros, de forma que essas sinergias sejam suficientemente robustas para definir em conjunto tais estratégias diferenciadoras. Como resultado final obteve-se uma senda de uma forma de Trabalho Colaborativo melhorado, cujos benefícios são quantitativos e qualitativos e, considerados como possíveis factores críticos de sucesso. A posição das Empresas (A, Cliente HiTech, Cliente Premium) é naturalmente observada num mercado cuja estratégia é de colaboração, de tão competitivo que é o modelo de negócio do High-Tech.The evolution of business/organisational competitiveness promotes in a (in)direct way new forms of supply chain management, collaborative models and the respective multidisciplinarity processes. At this point, they arise as a business opportunity for companies/organisations to drive, or even to be driven to be more competitive and differentiated from others. These collaborative and multidisciplinary functionalities and models are increasingly common and their applicability should be considered for the added value it may provide to customers and/or partners. In the context of this research, Company A appears as Fourth-Party Logistics which, through a Collaborative and Multidisciplinary Model, finds interesting final benefits, but it is necessary to take into consideration the difficulties and challenges faced in its negotiation, adoption and implementation, namely in the redefinition of internal activities, in the Business Process Redesign itself, mainly in the complexity of the Operative and, naturally in the resistance to change. In supply chain management, the relationships between all partners must be ensured with maximum efficacy and efficiency, so that these synergies are sufficiently robust to jointly define such differentiating strategies. As a final result, a path was formed towards an improved Collaborative Work, whose benefits are quantitative and qualitative and, considered as possible critical success factors. The position of the Companies (A, HiTech Client, Premium Client) is naturally observed in a market whose strategy is collaborative, because the High-Tech business model is so competitive.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An interpretive field study of packaged software selection processes

Packaged software is pre-built with the intention of licensing it to users in domestic settings and work organisations. This thesis focuses upon the work organisation where packaged software has been characterised as one of the latest ‘solutions’ to the problems of information systems. The study investigates the packaged software selection process that has, to date, been largely viewed as objective and rational. In contrast, this interpretive study is based on a 2½ year long field study of organisational experiences with packaged software selection at T.Co, a consultancy organisation based in the United Kingdom. Emerging from the iterative process of case study and action research is an alternative theory of packaged software selection. The research argues that packaged software selection is far from the rationalistic and linear process that previous studies suggest. Instead, the study finds that aspects of the traditional process of selection incorporating the activities of gathering requirements, evaluation and selection based on ‘best fit’ may or may not take place. Furthermore, even where these aspects occur they may not have equal weight or impact upon implementation and usage as may be expected. This is due to the influence of those multiple realities which originate from the organisational and market environments within which packages are created, selected and used, the lack of homogeneity in organisational contexts and the variously interpreted characteristics of the package in question