Sense-Making of The Implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning Software Solution

Abstract

In a bid to increase their efficiency and productivity, organizations conducting their business processes manually or semi-automatically realize their need to migrate to a more effective, automated system of managing their operations.  Organizations may opt to adopt an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to achieve this purpose.  As is common with organizational change, ERP implementation in organizations can be met with resistance from organizational stakeholders such as employees. Organization need to overcome this resistance and support stakeholders to understand and embrace the change.  This article therefore explores how a company might effectively navigate the change–the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system–from an organizational sense-making perspective. It also delves into various aspects of the ERP, such as its meaning, benefits, and factors that can lead to a successful or failed implementation.  Additionally, this paper identifies the implementation and adoption of an ERP as a change management process requiring the steering of a change manager. Hence, information is provided on the role of a change manager, who in the change management process, acts as an interpreter by making sense to the change, in order to facilitate a successful implementation of the ERP solution. This paper provides an exposé into the utilizing of the sense-making framework as a way to navigate ERP implementation, with the aim of positively effecting the change.

Key Words: Enterprise resource planning (ERP), ERP implementation, organizational sense-making, organizational change management, change manager

DOI: 10.7176/JIEA/14-1-05

Publication date: February 28^th 2024