Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems success: impact of employees’ perceptions and satisfaction on expected benefits in a manufacturing setting

Abstract

The benefits that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems can offer organizations are the primary reason behind their popularity. However, employees` satisfaction is one of the factors that affect ERP system benefits, while employees` expectations of such systems affect their satisfaction. The study aimed to identify and investigate how employees’ expectations of the general benefits from ERP systems influence employees` satisfaction and actual benefits derived. The study was performed in a manufacturing organization, and data collection entailed a quantitative questionnaire, targeting an entire population of 80 employees (ERP users). The study obtained a 66% response rate, and quantitative data analysis techniques were used. The study found out that users with high expectations were more dissatisfied and not benefiting from the ERP system compared to those with low expectations. Users with more experience did not find the ERP system very challenging compared to the users who had less experience. The Chi-square test of independence implied that the general expectations that users had on ERP systems did not affect their satisfaction (7.965, p = 0.241). Besides, there was a relationship between general expected benefits from an ERP system and the actual benefits of using it (19.342, p < 0.013). Furthermore, a moderate and significant relationship between actual benefits derived and user satisfaction was found (.451**, p < 0.001). The study concludes that there is a relationship between employees’ expected benefits, employees` satisfaction, and actual benefits derived from ERP systems.