Opening the Black Box: A Multi-Method Analysis of An Enterprise Resource Planning Implementation

Abstract

This paper presents a multi-method analysis of the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system. It argues the majority of research treats these systems as having essential technical properties that enable them to bring about positive organisational effects. In contrast, we adopt a post-essentialist perspective that understands discourse as constructing ERP systems, rather than reflecting their essential properties. Discourse analysis of interviews and focus groups was used to compare justifications for the implementation produced by members of the ERP project team with end users’ reactions to the system. In contrast to previous studies, this opens the ERP black box by illustrating how the capabilities of these systems, and their organisational effects, are constructed through language. Moreover, it demonstrates the important function these constructions perform in legitimising or undermining ERP implementation. Statistical analysis of post-implementation questionnaires identified the predictors of established measures of users’ reactions to IT systems. By comparing these data with end users’ discursive reactions to the project, we identify several constructs for inclusion in future studies of users’ reactions to ERP systems. The paper concludes by summarising the contributions and limitations of the study and its implications for future research and practice.