Strategic Systems Implementation: Diffusion through Drift

Abstract

The adoption of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems follows various paths in organisations and achieves diverse results. The traditional models of diffusion of innovation applied in information systems are not sufficient to explain such variations in adoption. This study examines the process of drift in an ERP project to answer the questions of how and why drift tends to occur in such projects. It applies Actor Network Theory to interpret the data. This analytical lens reveals that a software implementation project's fate depends on each move it takes and each party involved in handling that move. Every handling of the project by different parties could present either a positive modality (that strengthens it and pushes it forward on its track) or a negative modality (that weakens its initial form and drags it onto a different direction). The study provides an alternative view of diffusion, and an explanation of drift in the ERP case that could be extended to other technological projects. It invites practitioners to monitor the various movements of their projects and to allow strategic drift in order to achieve a successful implementation.

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