Meeting halfway

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 936-956 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamella Drummond ◽  
Fernando Araujo ◽  
Renata Borges

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the large case of enterprise resource planning (ERP) system implementation in Latin America, performed between 2011 and 2015 in a Brazilian, multinational, publicly traded company. Using the organizational change literature as background, this research analyzes the barriers and factors of success by comparing the perspectives of ERP implementers and end-users, identifying success factors and barriers of this project. A conceptual framework is developed. Design/methodology/approach The case study method was used to conduct an in-depth analysis of the interviews that captured the complexity of this process. The change management project team had exactly 11 implementers, of whom ten were interviewed, and 45 end-users, of whom 20 were interviewed. Findings The results suggest that end-users and implementers have opposite perceptions regarding the role of previous experience, organizational processes, capacity for change, leadership behavior, and the interaction of business units. In general, implementers presented a more critical perception of the change processes. Conversely, implementers and end-users agreed that business needs and cultural values facilitated the ERP implementation, whereas organizational structure and geographic dispersion constrain it. Research limitations/implications This research could have analyzed the results by region or by production line. Originality/value The major contribution of this research is to offer a conceptual framework to analyze different views about the same project. This study deepens the understanding of ERP implementations by adding studies from other countries and different cultures. For practitioners, this case study aims to offer the experiences and perceptions that implementers and end-users had about the largest ERP implementation system in Latin America.

2005 ◽  
pp. 288-316
Author(s):  
Mary C. Jones ◽  
R.L. Price

This study examines organizational knowledge sharing in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Knowledge sharing in ERP implementation is somewhat unique because ERP requires end users to have more divergent knowledge than is required in the use of traditional systems. Because of the length of time and commitment that ERP implementation requires, end users are also often more involved in ERP implementations than they are in more traditional ERP implementations. They must understand how their tasks fit into the overall process, and they must understand how their process fits with other organizational processes. Knowledge sharing among organizational members is one critical piece of ERP implementation, yet it is challenging to achieve. There is often a large gap in knowledge among ERP implementation personnel, and people do not easily share what they know. This study presents findings about organizational knowledge sharing during ERP implementation in three firms. Data were collected through interviews using a multi-site case study methodology. Findings are analyzed in an effort to provide a basis on which practitioners can more effectively facilitate knowledge sharing during ERP implementation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davar Rezania ◽  
Noufou Ouedraogo

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to study the ad hoc problem of developing capabilities for knowledge transfer between various constituencies of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation project. The paper studies how an ERP project develops ability to network, link, and integrate its various knowledge resources over time. Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducted a case study of an ERP project, from its initiation in 2008 to its completion in 2011. Findings – The case demonstrates the dynamics of development of knowledge transfer capacities through ad hoc problem solving. The paper identifies five mechanisms used in this case for the development of knowledge transfer capacities. Practical implications – Ad hoc problem solving mechanisms demonstrated in this paper can be intentionally planned and utilized in similar projects to enable interaction, integration, and institutionalization. Originality/value – Even though ad hoc problem solving as a model for change is prevalent in many organizations, studies of ad hoc problem solving capabilities as a mechanism for change are not extensive. This case describes ad hoc mechanisms that foster change and development of knowledge transfer capacities during large IT project implementations.


Author(s):  
Mary C. Jones ◽  
R. Leon Price

This study examines organizational knowledge sharing in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Knowledge sharing in ERP implementation is somewhat unique, because ERP requires end users to have more divergent knowledge than is required in the use of traditional systems. Because of the length of time and commitment that ERP implementation requires, end users also are often more involved in ERP implementations than they are in more traditional ERP implementations. They must understand how their tasks fit into the overall process, and they must understand how their process fits with other organizational processes. Knowledge sharing among organizational members is one critical piece of ERP implementation, yet it is challenging to achieve. There is often a large gap in knowledge among ERP implementation personnel, and people do not easily share what they know. This study presents findings about organizational knowledge sharing during ERP implementation in three firms. Data were collected through interviews using a multi-site case study methodology. Findings are analyzed in an effort to provide a basis on which practitioners can facilitate knowledge sharing more effectively during ERP implementation.


Author(s):  
Hooshang M. Beheshti ◽  
Bruce K. Blaylock ◽  
Dale A. Henderson ◽  
James G. Lollar

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors that contribute to the successful implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems in manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach – The qualitative research method was used to study six diverse manufacturing firms in Virginia. A semi-structure method of data collection was used for the analysis. Findings – The ERP software has emerged as a key enabler of system integration in organizations to reduce redundancy, improve efficiency, productivity and performance. Firms implement ERP not only to improve operations efficiency but to be more responsive to the customer needs in the global economy. The findings provide insights on the factors that these large and global manufacturing firms consider to be important to the success of ERP implementation and utilization. Research limitations/implications – The study is limited to large manufacturing firms and does not consider service industries or small and medium enterprises. Practical implications – A considerable amount of time and capital are required for the acquisition and implementation of ERP systems. The results are useful to managers of manufacturing companies who are interested in using, modifying or upgrading an integrative technology software system, such as ERP. Originality/value – This empirical study provides an in-depth analysis of factors that motivate firms to consider ERP systems, factors that are important when acquiring the system, key factors to implementation and cultural adjustments following implementation. To the best of our knowledge, no single study has examined all of these issues in one report.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 222-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bambang Purwoko Kusumo Bintoro ◽  
Togar Mangihut Simatupang ◽  
Utomo Sarjono Putro ◽  
Pri Hermawan

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the existence of studies, by exploring the current literatures, on interaction among actors in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation. Design/methodology/approach – A new classification framework is offered, along with the two dimensions of ERP implementation: determinants and outcomes, to provide four types of research classes. Hundreds of articles were searched by using keywords from journal data bases. The selected articles were grouped based on the new classification of ERP implementation, followed by an in-depth analysis by using the Context, Intervention, Mechanism, Outcomes logic and the system of systems methodologies (SOSM) framework. Findings – The interactions among actors in ERP implementation have been overlooked, although there is almost always disagreements, misperceptions, and conflicts. Managing the interactions among actors is considered important because common failures in ERP implementation are often caused by mismanaged interactions among the key actors. Unfortunately, the existing research has so far shown a small effort to study how the actors’ interactions are managed. Research limitations/implications – One key limitation of this research is that the number of actor-related articles is lesser than the factor-related articles. Further research should be conducted to explain how to manage the interactions among the actors in each stage of ERP implementation. Practical implications – A guidance to prepare the entire organization prior to the ERP implementation to seriously consider the typical conflict among actors on each stage of ERP implementation and its causal factors and how to resolve them. Social implications – The importance of understanding typical conflict among actors, its causal factors, and how to resolve them can be extended to other projects or social phenomenon. Originality/value – This proposed framework is new to the ERP literature and serves to identify and expand further research on actors’ interactions to improve the success of ERP implementation. This is the first research to identify the interactions among actors in ERP implementation by using a clearly structured methodological approach, which is conducted by critically reviewing the ERP implementation literature.


2008 ◽  
pp. 1948-1967
Author(s):  
Mary C. Jones ◽  
R. Leon Price

This study examines organizational knowledge sharing in enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. Knowledge sharing in ERP implementation is somewhat unique because ERP requires end users to have more divergent knowledge than is required in the use of traditional systems. Because of the length of time and commitment that ERP implementation requires, end users are also often more involved in ERP implementations than they are in more traditional ERP implementations. They must understand how their tasks fit into the overall process, and they must understand how their process fits with other organizational processes. Knowledge sharing among organizational members is one critical piece of ERP implementation, yet it is challenging to achieve. There is often a large gap in knowledge among ERP implementation personnel, and people do not easily share what they know. This study presents findings about organizational knowledge sharing during ERP implementation in three firms. Data were collected through interviews using a multi-site case study methodology. Findings are analyzed in an effort to provide a basis on which practitioners can more effectively facilitate knowledge sharing during ERP implementation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 943-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamdan Mohammed Al-Sabri ◽  
Majed Al-Mashari ◽  
Azeddine Chikh

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the question of what is an appropriate enterprise resource planning (ERP) reference model for specifying areas of change in the context of IT-driven ERP implementation and through the model matching. There are other implicit goals to increasing the awareness of the reference models, as this highlights the principles embedded in ERP systems and explains the classification of reference models, which is useful in terms of the reuse of knowledge. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, a comparison between ERP reference models is conducted using a suitable decision-making technique and the final results are discussed. The comparison depends on nine criteria related to conceptual ERP reference models: scope, abstraction, granularity, views, purpose, simplicity, availability, ease of use for model matching, and target audience. Findings This study concludes that the business process reference model is best for specifying areas of change in the context of IT-driven ERP implementations. The final ranking of the alternatives based on all criteria places the system organizational model second, followed by the function and data/object reference models, in that order. Originality/value This paper is one of very few studies on the selection of appropriate ERP reference models according to the ERP implementation approach and model matching factors. This research also provides an in-depth analysis of various ERP reference model types.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-34
Author(s):  
Henk-Jan van Roekel ◽  
Martijn van der Steen

PurposeThis paper aims to uncover how implementation practices affect the unfolding of integration as the ideal of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. In this way, the authors aim to provide a better understanding of the ways in which the ideal of integration affects the complexity of ERP systems.Design/methodology/approachThis paper interprets a case study of the implementation of an ERP system in a Dutch company.FindingsThe paper highlights how different variations of an object of integration were enacted during an ERP implementation. The authors observe how the interests of the various actors were not always served by the variations of integration in circulation. They illustrate how this resulted in a failure of the network to be folded into a taken-for-granted configuration of constituent parts. Consequentially, having multiple variations of integration contributed to increased complexity of the system.Originality/valueThe paper highlights how multiple variations of a single object of integration are brought into circulation. Such perspective enables a better understanding of some of the complexities associated with ERP implementations.


2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 106-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fergal Carton ◽  
Frederic Adam ◽  
David Sammon

PurposeThe success rate of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations is not high in view of the sums invested by organisations in these applications. It has often been indicated that a combination of inadequate preparedness and inappropriate project management have been responsible for the low‐success rate of ERP implementations. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a successful ERP implementation.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the authors use a case study of a very successful roll out of an ERP application in the Irish subsidiary of a UK multinational to investigate the validity of one of the most commonly cited project management frameworks, the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK), to ERP projects. Discussing each category of the framework in turn, the case data to illustrate where the PMBOK framework is a good fit or needs refining for ERP projects is used.FindingsIt is found that, by and large, PMBOK, because it is a very broad framework, can shed light on most of the key aspects of an ERP project. However, the specificities of this type of project require a different emphasis on some of the factors, as discussed in the authors conclusions. The case analysis also raised some interesting insights into how companies evaluate the success of such highly complex change management initiatives.Research limitations/implicationsThis research work will need to be extended to cover other case studies of ERP implementation across other industries and organisational contexts; for example in less tightly regulated industries and smaller organisations.Practical implicationsThis discussion will be of great value to ERP project managers who are in the early stages of a project and need to understand and anticipate the areas which will require specific attention on their part, based on their knowledge of the specific circumstances within their organisational context.Originality/valueThis paper presents an investigation into the project management strategy adopted in the Pharma Inc. case and illustrates the mechanics of a successful ERP project implementation, categorised using the PMBOK framework.


2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 730-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhaman Parthasarathy ◽  
Maya Daneva

Purpose – Customization is a difficult task for many organizations implementing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. The purpose of this paper is to develop a new framework based on customers’ requirements to examine the ERP customization choices for the enterprise. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) technique has been applied complementarily with this framework to prioritize ERP customization choices. Design/methodology/approach – Based on empirical literature, the paper proposed an ERP customization framework anchored on the customer's requirements. A case study research method was used to evaluate the applicability of the framework in a real-life setting. In a case study with 15 practitioners working on the vendor's and the client's sides in an ERP implementation, the paper applied the framework jointly with the AHP technique to prioritize the feasible customization choices for ERP implementation. Findings – The paper demonstrates the applicability of the framework in identifying the various feasible choices for the client organization to consider when they decide to customize their selected ERP product. Research limitations/implications – Further case studies need to be carried out in various contexts to acquire knowledge about the generalizability of the observations. This will also contribute to refining the proposed ERP customization framework. Practical implications – Very few literature sources suggest methods for exploring and evaluating customization options in ERP projects from requirements engineering perspective. The proposed framework helps practitioners and consultants anchor the customization decisions on the customer's requirements and use a well-established prioritization technique, AHP, to identify the feasible customization choices for the implementing enterprise. Originality/value – No previously published research studies provide an approach to prioritize customization choices for ERP anchored on the customer's requirements.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document