Can organizational structure influence ERP success?

Implementing enterprise resource planning systems is a sophisticated, lengthy and costly process which tends to face serious failure. Though many contributing factors have been cited in the literature, the authors argue that the integrated nature of ERP systems, which generally requires an organization to adopt standardized business processes reflected in the software, is one of the key factors contributing to these failures. The integration and standardization imposed by most ERP systems may not be suitable for all types of organizational structures and it seems that some characteristics in organizational structures affect the likelihood of implementation success or failure. Based on the theory of organizational structure, this paper analyzes how the traditional variables which define a firm's organizational structure such as formalization, complexity, and centralization along with two variables of size and CIO position in an organization influence ERP projects success. The paper tests five hypotheses using a sample of 203 Iranian cases. The results show that all of the research variables on organizational structure exert a positive influence on ERP success which confirms all the research hypotheses

Information architecture for IS function: a case study

Today’s complex, unstable and competitive society raises several difficulties to organisations. In this context, Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and information itself have become resources of vital importance. The pressing need for Information Systems (IS) to meet several business requirements, in addition to the complexity involved in technology and business management, turns the IS Function one of the main areas of influence for success of modern organisations. Through its capacity of representing activities, management objects and corresponding relations, the Information Architecture of the Information Systems Function (IAISF), a technique derived from the well-known Information Architecture but exclusively focused on the Information Systems Function (ISF), allows not only the conceptualization and understanding of the ISF itself, but also of its interactions with other areas within organizations. This paper presents the main results of a case study related to the application of the IAISF technique in a computer service centre of a University