The Implementation and Use of ERMS: A Study in Icelandic Organizations

Abstract

This research studied the implementation and use of ERMS in eight organizations in Iceland.Four organizations, where 34 employees were interviewed, were studied in detail.Seven participant observations were also conducted in these organizations.Four other organizations, where four key employees were interviewed, corroborated the findings.Six consultants/teachers at six different software providers were also interviewed, making the total number of interviewees 44.One participant observation was conducted as well at one of the software providers.These eight organizations operated in different fields of industry.They had implemented four different ERMS with two using each system.The organizations were both public and private.They are representative of medium to large size organizations in Iceland and had experienced varying success rates in the implementation, although detailed results were not known before this study.ERMS are systems to manage records during their lifetime.The systems studied met all RM requirements.They were all part of a groupware and were those that had gained the widest distribution on the Icelandic market.The aim of the research was to discover why and how ERMS were being implemented and to find out whether and how employees were actually using ERMS.The study aimed at examining the association between the implementation and the use of ERMS.The focus was to discover which implementation factors influenced a successful outcome and the actual use as well as the perceived objectives of the implementation.The study discovered that there was a strong correlation between the most important input factors and the outcomes that they influence.There were mainly three implementation factors that appeared to be most important for the success of the implementation.These were support by top management, co-operation between the IT and RM functions in the system development and in the training, and the training of the users who should receive both basic training in RM and comprehensive training in using the system.The study also revealed the importance of having users participate in the implementation process, particularly in fitting the records classification scheme (FCS) to the ERMS.ERMS and were these objectives being met, (2) how were ERMS implemented and how successful was the implementation, (3) was there a difference between public and private organizations regarding the success of the implementation, (4) did the systems differ in how easily they were implemented, (5) how did the employees use ERMS, if they did, and if not, what did they use as a substitute, ( 6) how did the employees feel about working with ERMS, and (7) what role did the implementation of ERMS play in the subsequent successful use or non-use of the system.This study has both theoretical and practical contributions.First, it creates new knowledge regarding which factors influence the implementation of ERMS and how employees used these systems.Second, by revealing the connections between input and output factors in implementations, it yields information as to how input factors should be treated for achieving a successful implementation outcome.The dissertation is organized into eight chapters starting with the introduction.Chapter two reviews the literature and examines relevant theories and studies.It introduces how ERMS and groupware are used to manage knowledge and information in general and then proceeds to discuss the literature on information systems, groupware, RM and ERMS in particular.Theories on the management of change, motivation and the implementation of change are considered.A model of the implementation process is presented and the process is discussed.Finally, surveys and studies of implementing similar or related systems are examined and discussed.Chapter three presents the aim and the objectives of the research and the ensuing research questions.The ties of the researcher to the subject and the personal reasons for choosing this topic for research are also discussed.Chapter four discusses why qualitative methodology was chosen for the research.The settings of the research are described and data provided on the participants.The chapter covers the procedures and methods used in obtaining the data and the methods used in the data analysis.The reliability and validity of the study are outlined and the value of the research is estimated.Chapter five presents what the participants in the research perceived to be the objectives of introducing ERMS in their organizations.The seven perceived objectives are discussed in the chapter. Education and Training of Employees in Using

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