Evading Technological Determinism in ERP Implementation: towards a consultative social approach

Abstract

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are implemented in business in the hope of obtaining benefits in the form of improved communications and increased efficiency through the standardization of information technology (IT) across functional business areas. The benefits, and in some cases problems, associated with implementation have been well documented, however there is little information available on their effectiveness in a different form of organization. This paper looks at ERP implementations in Government Owned Corporations (GOC) and discusses implementation issues by looking at the way we perceive such organisations. A GOC case study is presented and explored in terms of the ERP and GOC literature in the context of existing social research approaches. This paper examines why end users in a GOC appear to be neither complying with, nor fully exploiting the potential of the ERP. The paper contends that discourses by staff at the operational level are different to that of staff at the managerial level. The paper also confirms previous research stating the importance of end user input for effective IT systems and ERP implementation processes.