Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:26:23.756Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

15 - Knowledge Integration Processes within the Context of Enterprise Resource Planning System Implementation

from Part III - From Learning to Knowledge

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2012

Jimmy Huang
Affiliation:
Lecturer in the Information Technology and Strategy Group, Nottingham University Business School, UK
Sue Newell
Affiliation:
Professor of Innovation and Organizational Analysis in the School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Graeme Shanks
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
Peter B. Seddon
Affiliation:
University of Melbourne
Leslie P. Willcocks
Affiliation:
University of Warwick
Get access

Summary

Introduction

An increasing number of multinational enterprises (MNE) have adopted ERP systems in the hope of increasing productivity and efficiency as a means of leveraging organizational competitiveness (Davenport, 1998; Wagle, 1998). While some are starting to harvest the benefits from their initial investments, others are still struggling to release the promised potential of their ERP systems. This can be seen as an illustration of the ‘productivity paradox’ (Fitzgerald, 1998), that is that firms face a significant problem in measuring the return on their IT investments. While there have been several accounts that have examined the adoption of technology, including ERP, few of these accounts have considered this from the perspective of cross-functional knowledge integration (Grant, 1996). Against this backdrop, a case study was conducted as a means of exploring and theorizing the dynamics of knowledge integration underlying the process of ERP implementation. In this paper we focus not only on presenting the theoretical framework but also on describing the stages that were undergone to derive this framework.

Current Debates and Perspectives

There is a great deal of literature conceptualizing the phenomenon of how firms implement new IT systems. This study draws upon research in four distinctive areas, including (1) the development of technology, (2) the process of technology implementation, (3) enabling and inhibiting factors, and (4) management of process innovation.

Type
Chapter
Information
Second-Wave Enterprise Resource Planning Systems
Implementing for Effectiveness
, pp. 351 - 370
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2003

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Allcorn, S. (1995) Understanding Organizational Culture as the Quality of Workplace Subjectivity. Human Relations, 48(1), 73–96CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Attewell, P. (1996) Information Technology and the Productivity Challenge. In Compaliers and Controversy, Kling, R. (ed.), 2nd edn, Academic Press, pp. 227–238CrossRef
Berger, P. and Luckmann, T. (1967) The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. New York: Anchor Books
Boland, R. and Tenkasi, R. (1995) Perspective Making and Perspective Taking in Communities of Knowing. Organization Science, 6(4), 350–372CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryman, A. and Burgess, R. (1999) Introduction: Qualitative Research Methodology – A Review. In: Qualitative Research, Volume I, Bryman, A. and Burgess, R. (eds), London: Sage
Burt, R. (1992) Structural Holes: The Social Structure of Competition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press
Campbell, N. (1985) Sources of Competitive Rivalry in Japan. The Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2(4), 224–231CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Case, R. and Shane, S. (1998) Fostering Risk Taking in Research and Development: The Importance of a Project's Terminal Value. Decision Sciences, 29(4), 765–783CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Combs, K. (1993) The Role of Information Sharing in Cooperative Research and Development. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 11(4), 535–551CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davenport, T. (1998) Putting the Enterprise into the Enterprise System. Harvard Business Review, 76(4), 121–131Google ScholarPubMed
Davis, F. (1989) Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Demsetz, H. (1991) The Theory of the Firm Revisited. In The Nature of the Firm, Williamson, O. and Winter, S. (eds), Oxford: Oxford University Press
Denzin, N. (1988) The Research Act. New York: McGraw-Hill
Dollinger, M. (1984) Environmental Boundary Spanning and Information Processing Effects on Organizational Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 27(2), 351–368Google Scholar
Eisenhardt, K. (1989) Building Theories from Case Study Research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532–550CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, G. (1998) Evaluating Information System Projects: A Multidimensional Approach. Journal of Information Technology, 13(1), 15–27CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Galbraith, J. (1977) Organizational Design. Reading, MA: Addison–Wesley
Glaser, B. and Strauss, A. (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Chicago: Aidine
Grant, R. (1996) Prospering in Dynamically Competitive Environment: Organizational Capability as Knowledge Integration. Organization Science, 7(4), 375–387CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, N. and Klepper, R. (2000) Assimilating New Technologies: The Role of Organizational Culture. Information System Management, 17(3), 36–42CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huang, J. (2000) Knowledge Integration Processes and Dynamics: An Empirical Study of Two Cross-functional Programme Teams. Ph. D. Thesis, Warwick Business School, The University of Warwick, Coventry
Huber, G. (1991) Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures. Organization Science, 2(1), 88–115CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jemison, D. (1984) The Importance of Boundary Spanning Roles in Strategic Decision-making. Journal of Management Studies, 21(2), 131–152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwon, T. H. and Zmud, R. W. (1987) Unifying the Fragmented Models of Information Systems Implementation. In Critical Issues in Information Systems Research, Boland, R. J. and Hirschheim, R. A., Chichester: Wiley, pp. 227–252
Lang, J. (1996) Strategic Alliances between Large and Small High-tech Firms: The Small Firm Licensing Option. International Journal of Technology Management, 12(7), 796–807Google Scholar
Latour, B. (1987) Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers through Society. Open University Press, Milton Keynes
Lawrence, P. and Lorsch, J. (1967) Organisation and Environment: Managing Differentiation and Integration. Boston: Harvard University Press
Lembke, S. and Wilson, M. (1998) Putting the ‘Team’ into Teamwork: Alternative Theoretical Contributions for Contemporary Management Practice. Human Relations, 51(7), 927–944CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leonard-Barton, D. (1987) Implementing Structured Software Methodologies: A Case of Innovation in Process Technology. Interfaces, 17(3), 6–17CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mamaghani, F. (1999) Information Systems Project Evaluation and Selection: An Application Study. International Journal of Management, 16(1), 130–138Google Scholar
Markus, L. and Keil, M. (1994) If We Build it, They Will Come: Designing Information Systems that People Want to Use. Sloan Management Review, 35(2), 11–25Google Scholar
McLoughlin I. (1999) Creative Technological Change: The Shaping of Technology and Organizations. London: Routledge
Miner, A. and Mezias, S. (1996) Ugly Duckling No More: Pasts and Futures of Organizational Learning Research. Organisation Science, 7(1), 88–99CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nahapiet, J. and Ghoshal, S. (1998) Social Capital, Intellectual Capital, and the Organizational Advantage. Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 242–266CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newell, S. and Swan, J. (2000) Trust and Inter-organisational Networking. Human Relations, 53(10), 1287–1328CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1995) The Knowledge-creating Company. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Orlikowski, W. (1993) CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development. MIS Quarterly, 17(3), 309–340CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinch, T. S. and Biyker, W. E. (1987) The Social Construction of Facts and Artifacts: Or How the Sociology of Science and the Sociology of Technology Might Benefit Each other. In The Social Construction of Technological Systems, Biyker, W. E., Hughes, T. P., and Pinch, T. (eds), London: MIT Press, pp. 17–50
Pisano, G. (1994) Knowledge, Integration, and the Locus of Learning: An Empirical Analysis of Process Development. Strategic Management Journal, 15(Special Issue), 85–100CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, E. (1962) The Diffusion of Innovations. New York: Free Press
Starbuck, W. (1992) Learning by Knowledge Intensive Firms. Journal of Management Studies, 29(6), 713–740CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Strauss, A. and J. Corbin (1990) Basics of Qualitative Research: Grounded Theory Procedures and Techniques. London: Sage
Swan, J., Newell, S., and Robertson, M. (1999) Central Agencies in the Diffusion and Design of Technology: A Comparison of the UK and Sweden. Organization Studies, 20(6), 905–931CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tornatzky, L. G. and Klein, K. (1982) Innovation Characteristics and Innovation Adoption Implementation: A Meta-analysis of Findings. IEEETransaction on Engineering Management, 29(1), 28–45CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wagle, D. (1998) The Case for ERP Systems. The McKinsey Quarterly, Spring Issue, 130–138
Woolgar, S. (1991) The Turn to Technology in Social Studies of Science. Science, Technology and Human Values, 16(1), 20–50CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×