Strategies for leading IT-enabled change: lessons from a global transformation case

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einar Iveroth

Purpose – The aim of this article is to provide strategic insights of how multinational organizations lead IT-enabled change on a global scale. The article summarizes the findings from a three-year case study of the international telecom company Ericsson. This company managed to successfully transform their finance and accounting (F & A) unit from a highly decentralized structure into a so-called shared service center (SSC) structure and the whole change was enabled by enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Design/methodology/approach – The case study data consists of in-depth interviews, archival data, and observations collected during three years. Findings – The article provides rich description of how the transformation was executed together with three key strategic lessons. Originality/value – The article offers unique and novel insights of how strategist drives IT-enabled change on a global scale.

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mostafa Kamal Hassan ◽  
Samar Mouakket

Purpose The study aims to explore the processes of implementing an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system in a public service organization operating in an emerging market economy, namely, the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Design/methodology/approach The study draws on Laughlin’s (1991) model of organizational change to highlight how the introduction of an ERP system, particularly its accounting modules, disrupted the adopting organization’s modes of thinking and its members’ practices. It uses a case study methodology. Data collection methods included semistructured interviews, documentary evidence and personal observation. Findings The case study findings show that despite implementation and customization problems, the organization’s employees were forced to use the ERP system. The findings also highlight how the ERP system was acted upon to mobilize the organization’s members toward a new era of information technology. However, the misfit between pre- and post-ERP system accounting practices led to some organizational members to form absorbing groups that questioned accounting-based ERP system organizational changes. The top management’s persistent desire to adopt the ERP system through forcing the organization’s employees to use the system’s modules led the organization to undergo what Laughlin (1991) calls “colonization” organizational change. Research limitation/implications The use of a case study methodology inherently limits the generalizability of the study’s findings. The case study was carried out over a relatively short timeframe, namely, ten months. Therefore, the use of a longitudinal case study to examine accounting-based ERP organizational change is recommended. Practical implications The study provides insights that can assist top management in formulating organizational change strategies. It also provides insights about emerging economies’ regulatory particularities that influence ERP system implementation. Originality/value The study is one of the first studies that utilizes Laughlin’s (1991) model of organizational change to examine accounting-based ERP organizational change in an emerging market economy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-346
Author(s):  
Mohamad Abu Ghazaleh ◽  
Salam Abdallah ◽  
Abdelrahim Zabadi

Purpose Despite the importance of post-implementation activities to support the success of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, there has been a lack of research into the factors that influences post-implementation success. Accordingly, this paper aims to present a case study on a public service organization operating in an emerging market economy, namely, the United Arab Emirates in the ERP post-implementation phase to understand the internal forces within the organization that influences ERP system success. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative method using focus group discussions (FGDs) was conducted based upon IT data from the firm and interviews with IT staff, business users and executive management to identify system users’ perceptions in post ERP. Findings The authors posit that the internal organizational forces of ongoing support, system user interactions and stakeholder views significantly affect post-implementation capabilities and user satisfaction. Research limitations/implications IT professionals and stakeholders believe that identification of the factors determining post-implementation ERP capabilities and user satisfaction should not be limited to specific practices. Practical implications This study provides insights that can assist CIOs and ERP professionals in the service industry to examine the extent of obstructions to post-implementation capabilities that will impact system user satisfaction. Originality/value Use of FGDs to explore the impact of ERP capabilities upon system user satisfaction in the service sector. The study is one of the first that utilizes Technological frames of reference (TFR) theory in studying ERP post-implementation.


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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6792
Author(s):  
Alessio Faccia ◽  
Pythagoras Petratos

Accounting information systems (AISs), the core module of any enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, are usually designed as centralised systems. Nowadays, the continuous development and applications of blockchain, or more broadly—distributed ledger technology (DLT), can change the architecture, overcome and improve some limitations of centralised systems, most notably security and privacy. An increasing number of authors are suggesting the application of blockchain technologies in management, accounting and ERPs. This paper aims to examine the emerging literature on this field, and an immediate result is that blockchain applications can have significant benefits. The paper’s innovative contribution and considerable objective are to examine if blockchain can be successfully integrated with AIS and ERPs. We find that blockchain can facilitate integration at multiple levels and better serve various purposes as auditing compliance. To demonstrate that, we analyse e-procurement systems and operations using case study research methodology. The findings suggest that DLT, decentralised finance (DeFI), and financial technology (FinTech) applications can facilitate integrating AISs and ERP systems and yield significant benefits for efficiency, productivity and security.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 54-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Jafarnejad ◽  
Manoucher Ansari ◽  
Hossein Rahmany Youshanlouei ◽  
Mohammad Mood

Selecting a proper system of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a major challenge for enterprise managers. Heavy expenses of incorrect decisions in selection of ERP systems have made academics and managers consider this phase as highly important. Several research studies proposed different approaches to selecting the ERP and many case studies of organizational experiences have been published. However, there has been less regard for simultaneous use of the findings of academic studies and judgments of industrial experts or organization mangers for making the most appropriate choice. This study proposes a combined multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach through which both previous studies and judgments of industrial experts or organization managers would be integrated in order to select the proper ERP system. Having studied the literature comprehensively and conducted interviews with experts and managers, this approach will determine the most important criteria in ERP selection using Shannon entropy technique. Then, based on the judgments obtained from experts and using DEMATEL technique, these criteria will be classified into the two groups of “Cause” and “Effect” and the most appropriate choice will be selected using Fuzzy AHP technique. Finally, a case study is conducted to demonstrate and prove the applicability of the proposed approach.


2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Muhammad Hafizhuddin Hilman ◽  
Farisya Setiadi ◽  
Ika Sarika ◽  
Jarot Budiasto ◽  
Rakhmat Alfian

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system is a concept of enterprise system that describe the integration of the whole process in the organization. Study in this field mostly about external development paradigm on information system development. So, issue in ERP is all about how to adopt it in the organization, not about the application development. This paper reviews two methodology on ERP system implementation, one is vendor perspective methodology and new generic perspective methodology. Comparation of both methodology is done in this study by using Roger Sessions’ metric. Result is the vendor perspective slightly superior than the new generic perspective methodology.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morteza Ghobakhloo ◽  
Masood Fathi

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how small manufacturing firms can leverage their Information Technology (IT) resources to develop the lean-digitized manufacturing system that offers sustained competitiveness in the Industry 4.0 era. Design/methodology/approach The study performs an in-depth five years case study of a manufacturing firm, and reports its journey from failure in the implementation of enterprise resource planning to its success in integrating IT-based technology trends of Industry 4.0 with the firm’s core capabilities and competencies while pursuing manufacturing digitization. Findings Industry 4.0 transition requires the organizational integration of many IT-based modern technologies and the digitization of entire value chains. However, Industry 4.0 transition for smaller manufacturers can begin with digitization of certain areas of operations in support of organizational core strategies. The development of lean-digitized manufacturing system is a viable business strategy for corporate survivability in the Industry 4.0 setting. Research limitations/implications Although the implementation of lean-digitized manufacturing system is costly and challenging, this manufacturing strategy offers superior corporate competitiveness in the long run. Since this finding is rather limited to the present case study, assessing the business value of lean-digitized manufacturing system in a larger scale research context would be an interesting avenue for future research. Practical implications Industry 4.0 transition for typical manufacturers should commensurate with their organizational, operational and technical particularities. Digitization of certain operations and processes, when aligned with the firm’s core strategies, capabilities and procedures, can offer superior competitiveness even in Industry 4.0 era, meaning that the strategic plan for successful Industry 4.0 transition is idiosyncratic to each particular manufacturer. Social implications Manufacturing digitization can have deep social implications as it alters inter- and intra-organizational relationships, causes unemployment among low-skilled workforce, and raises data security and privacy concerns. Manufacturers should take responsibility for their digitization process and steer it in a direction that simultaneously safeguards economic, social and environmental sustainability. Originality/value The strategic roadmap devised and employed by the case company for managing its digitization process can better reveal what manufacturing digitization, mandated by Industry 4.0, might require of typical manufacturers, and further enable them to better facilitate their digital transformation process.


Author(s):  
Kimberly Furumo

This chapter provides a case study of a failed enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation at a public university. Public universities, like other governmental agencies, may have more dif?culty implementing information technology (IT) because of limited resources, increased organizational bureaucracy, and extensive statutory reporting requirements. This chapter begins by identifying what an ERP system is, the dif?culties of implementing ERP systems, and the added dif?culties related to implementing technology in governmental organizations. In this case study analysis, upper managers, IT staff, and functional department end users were asked to identify why the project failed. Several lessons were learned including the importance of allocating adequate ?nancial resources to IT projects and managing the change process. As organizations move from the centralized legacy system environment which was prevalent in the last half of the 20th century, to the new distributed ERP environment, roles and responsibilities are changing. Readers are provided with practical suggestions that will help improve IT implementation success in governmental agencies.


Author(s):  
Joseph R. Muscatello ◽  
Diane H. Parente

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, if implemented correctly, have shown that a firm can gain strategic and tactical advantages over their competition who do not implement such systems. However, with failure rates estimated to be as high as 50% of all ERP implementations, companies can be negatively impacted by a poorly performing ERP system. The research on ERP has focused on events leading to the selection, evaluation, and implementation of the ERP system. The intent of this updated research effort is to capture new theories that can help practitioners successfully manage ERP systems by performing a post-ERP implementation examination of eight corporations and a pertinent research review. This chapter is based on a qualitative research design involving case-study methodology. The propositions derived from the case study form a broad set of considerations that influence the success of an ERP system.


Author(s):  
Rosio Alvarez

This research examines the implementation process of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and shows that implementation cannot be viewed solely in instrumental terms–that is, organizations do not simply select systems based on information requirements so that proper “fit” can be achieved. Instead, this research suggests that the activities of selecting and implementing a new ERP become the medium for (re-)constructing or (re-)constituting the organization’s values. Theorists have described such activities as a “mythmaking” process. A case study of an implementation at a large nonprofit organization is presented to demonstrate how myth-making served to construct an ERP system as an “integrated” system and at the same time served to elaborate existing organizational values. The myth functioned as a vehicle of consensual organizational reality, serving to align the acquisition of an ERP system with the organizational values, thereby garnering widespread support for a complex, expensive and relatively unknown technology.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document