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ERP customization as a response to voluntarily and non-voluntarily acquired organizational structures

Brede, Caroline LU and Lazic, Marina LU (2011) INFM02 20111
Department of Informatics
Abstract
Enterprise resource planning systems constitute a big part of the reality for the information system workers and companies who aim to integrate their business processes. For this goal to be achieved, a fit needs to be reached between the ERP and an organization’s structure and processes. One possible choice to achieve this fit is by customizing the ERP system. These organizational structures to which ERP needs to adapt are either voluntarily or non-voluntarily acquired depending on the contingencies that affect an organization. In this study we explore the relationship between these acquired structures and different types of customizations done in response to them. We decided to conduct a qualitative study to explore this relationship by... (More)
Enterprise resource planning systems constitute a big part of the reality for the information system workers and companies who aim to integrate their business processes. For this goal to be achieved, a fit needs to be reached between the ERP and an organization’s structure and processes. One possible choice to achieve this fit is by customizing the ERP system. These organizational structures to which ERP needs to adapt are either voluntarily or non-voluntarily acquired depending on the contingencies that affect an organization. In this study we explore the relationship between these acquired structures and different types of customizations done in response to them. We decided to conduct a qualitative study to explore this relationship by interviewing both ERP vendors and adopters. We constructed a research framework to guide us through this empirical data collection process and analysis. Findings about customizations done in response to voluntarily and non-voluntarily acquired organizational structures were classified according to a typology that we developed based on the literature. Tentatively, we found based on the experiences of our two adopter companies indications that customizations done to retain voluntarily acquired structures are either done to support the core process or indirectly to support administrative functions and tend to be heavier. Furthermore, customizations done in response to non-voluntarily acquired structures are lighter but broad in scope. These findings were supported from a vendor perspective as well. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Brede, Caroline LU and Lazic, Marina LU
supervisor
organization
course
INFM02 20111
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
enterprise resource planning, ERP customization, fit, organizational structure, contingency theory, institutional theory
report number
INF11-053
language
English
id
1980363
date added to LUP
2011-09-01 14:00:27
date last changed
2011-09-01 14:00:27
@misc{1980363,
  abstract     = {{Enterprise resource planning systems constitute a big part of the reality for the information system workers and companies who aim to integrate their business processes. For this goal to be achieved, a fit needs to be reached between the ERP and an organization’s structure and processes. One possible choice to achieve this fit is by customizing the ERP system. These organizational structures to which ERP needs to adapt are either voluntarily or non-voluntarily acquired depending on the contingencies that affect an organization. In this study we explore the relationship between these acquired structures and different types of customizations done in response to them. We decided to conduct a qualitative study to explore this relationship by interviewing both ERP vendors and adopters. We constructed a research framework to guide us through this empirical data collection process and analysis. Findings about customizations done in response to voluntarily and non-voluntarily acquired organizational structures were classified according to a typology that we developed based on the literature. Tentatively, we found based on the experiences of our two adopter companies indications that customizations done to retain voluntarily acquired structures are either done to support the core process or indirectly to support administrative functions and tend to be heavier. Furthermore, customizations done in response to non-voluntarily acquired structures are lighter but broad in scope. These findings were supported from a vendor perspective as well.}},
  author       = {{Brede, Caroline and Lazic, Marina}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{ERP customization as a response to voluntarily and non-voluntarily acquired organizational structures}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}