Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

ERP as an organizational innovation: key users and cross-boundary knowledge management

ERP as an organizational innovation: key users and cross-boundary knowledge management PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide more insight in the ways key users act as knowledge managers and boundary spanners during the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system usage phase. Despite the recognized importance of key users during the implementation phase of an ERP system, little is known about their role in the ERP usage phase.Design/methodology/approachTo provide rich insight in the boundary-spanning mechanisms utilized by key users to share knowledge, a qualitative approach was applied. In this study, “abductive” theme coding for 58 interviews with key users, end-users and managers has been used. This paper found six mechanisms and characterized them as “crossing” structural, social or cognitive boundaries.FindingsSix boundary-spanning mechanisms have been distinguished which have been applied by key users to overcome several knowledge management issues. Subsequently, these mechanisms lead to a model which describes three different roles that key users may fulfill to efficiently share and transfer knowledge during the ERP usage phase.Research limitations/implicationsKnowledge barriers during an ERP implementation and their accompanying six boundary-crossing mechanisms have been distinguished.Practical implicationsThe recognition of the essential role that key users can fulfill during the usage phase of an ERP system is an important implication. Management has to take into account that tasks and responsibilities of key users have to be clear from the start and they may cautiously select employees who are suited to become key users.Originality/valueThe main contribution is the importance of the impact of key users on the effectivity of knowledge management during the ERP usage phase. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Knowledge Management Emerald Publishing

ERP as an organizational innovation: key users and cross-boundary knowledge management

Download PDF
21 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/erp-as-an-organizational-innovation-key-users-and-cross-boundary-vXheo0bv0I
Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1367-3270
DOI
10.1108/JKM-05-2015-0195
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide more insight in the ways key users act as knowledge managers and boundary spanners during the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system usage phase. Despite the recognized importance of key users during the implementation phase of an ERP system, little is known about their role in the ERP usage phase.Design/methodology/approachTo provide rich insight in the boundary-spanning mechanisms utilized by key users to share knowledge, a qualitative approach was applied. In this study, “abductive” theme coding for 58 interviews with key users, end-users and managers has been used. This paper found six mechanisms and characterized them as “crossing” structural, social or cognitive boundaries.FindingsSix boundary-spanning mechanisms have been distinguished which have been applied by key users to overcome several knowledge management issues. Subsequently, these mechanisms lead to a model which describes three different roles that key users may fulfill to efficiently share and transfer knowledge during the ERP usage phase.Research limitations/implicationsKnowledge barriers during an ERP implementation and their accompanying six boundary-crossing mechanisms have been distinguished.Practical implicationsThe recognition of the essential role that key users can fulfill during the usage phase of an ERP system is an important implication. Management has to take into account that tasks and responsibilities of key users have to be clear from the start and they may cautiously select employees who are suited to become key users.Originality/valueThe main contribution is the importance of the impact of key users on the effectivity of knowledge management during the ERP usage phase.

Journal

Journal of Knowledge Management – Emerald Publishing

Published: May 9, 2016

References

  • Crossing the line: overcoming knowledge boundaries in enterprise transformation
  • Vicious and virtuous cycles in ERP implementation: a case study of interrelations between critical success factors
  • Boundary crossing and boundary objects
  • Communication barriers in an interorganizational ERP-project
  • Unpacking interunit knowledge transfer in multinational enterprises