Managing change in ERP implementation projects : A case study in an SME context

Organizations that implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems face extensive changes in their structures, core processes, and roles. These changes needto be managed for ERP implementations to succeed, making change management very important.Literature detail critical success factors (CSFs) for change management, but these receive varying relative importance depending on factorssuch as the size and the context of the implementing organization. Much of the research on change management in ERP implementations focus on large enterprises, and oftenlack empiricalinsight into whychange management is challenging. Kristiansand Skruefabrikkog Mek verksted (KSMV), anSME focusing onindustrial production locatedin Søgne, Norway, implemented the ERP system RamBase in the spring of 2020.In this thesis,KSMV’s ERP implementation is examined by asking the research questions1)How do SMEs manage change during ERP implementations?and2)Why is change management challenging to tackle during ERP implementations in SMEs?This study uses a qualitative approach with an explanatorycase study guided by the interpretive paradigm. It consists of empirical data, collected through14 semi-structured interviews and 304 hours of observation,in addition to gathered documents. Using Nvivo, CSFsforchange management identified from the literaturewereadopted as a framework for provisional codingin order to achieve an in-depthanalysis and interpretation of the data’s meanings

MANAGING CHANGE IN ERP IMPLEMENTATION: LESSONS LEARNED FROM AN SME CONTEXT

Organizations implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems experience the need for extensive changes in structure, core processes, and roles - making change management crucial. Prior research on change management in ERP implementations focuses mostly on large enterprises and lacks empirical insight into why change management is challenging. We conducted a case study in a Norwegian Small and Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) working in mechanical manufacturing. Interviews, observations, and documents were analyzed. This study contributes to the literature focusing on change management in ERP implementations and pro-vides rich insight into how and why change management is challenging in an SME context by detailing eight key reasons behind 33 challenges. Lessons learned from this study may have transferable value to other SMEs implementing ERP. The study highlights the importance of considering culture, overall organizational workload, and ensuring deep engagement during an ERP project. Several of the challenges were interconnected. Customizing organizational processes was challenging because it opposed the established culture within the company, risk management was underestimated, and culture was more of an impediment than a facilitator for change management. Finally, the management style, lack of holistic project view, and lack of competence in computer usage were also identified as challenges impeding an efficient implementation

Managing change in ERP implementation projects : A case study in an SME context

Organizations that implement enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems face extensive changes in their structures, core processes, and roles. These changes needto be managed for ERP implementations to succeed, making change management very important.Literature detail critical success factors (CSFs) for change management, but these receive varying relative importance depending on factorssuch as the size and the context of the implementing organization. Much of the research on change management in ERP implementations focus on large enterprises, and oftenlack empiricalinsight into whychange management is challenging. Kristiansand Skruefabrikkog Mek verksted (KSMV), anSME focusing onindustrial production locatedin Søgne, Norway, implemented the ERP system RamBase in the spring of 2020.In this thesis,KSMV’s ERP implementation is examined by asking the research questions1)How do SMEs manage change during ERP implementations?and2)Why is change management challenging to tackle during ERP implementations in SMEs?This study uses a qualitative approach with an explanatorycase study guided by the interpretive paradigm. It consists of empirical data, collected through14 semi-structured interviews and 304 hours of observation,in addition to gathered documents. Using Nvivo, CSFsforchange management identified from the literaturewereadopted as a framework for provisional codingin order to achieve an in-depthanalysis and interpretation of the data’s meanings