Implementing an integrated system in a socially dis‐integrated enterprise

Abstract

Purpose Organisational integration has been presented as a key imminent outcome of implementing ERP systems. This study aims to examine critically this notion of integration by focusing on the role of the social fabric of the organisation in the implementation of ERP systems and, in particular, its integration capability. Design/methodology/approach This study examines the case of a successful ERP implementation in a large international organisation through the analytical lens of actor network theory and the introduction of the concept of “organisational othering”. Findings The study argues that the institutionalised marginalisation of some business units within the organisation created a highly political and largely dis‐integrated social context for the ERP implementation, which contrasts with the system logic of integration, transparency, and coordination. It reveals that this organisational practice of dis‐integration can be reproduced and inscribed in the implemented ERP system, thereby hindering the realisation of its integration capability. Originality/value The research contributes to the emerging critical studies of ERP systems and the ongoing discussion on IS implementation politics and intra‐group conflict by suggesting that configuring integrated systems such as ERP in such a context requires careful consideration and delicate management in order to achieve a workable version of integration that is socially and organisationally acceptable.

Cite this work

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 67 citations exist upstream.

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.