Enterprise Resource Planning and Organizational Knowledge: Patterns of Convergence and Divergence

Authors

  • R. Baskerville Georgia State University of Atlanta, Department of Computer Information Systems
  • S. Pawlowski Louisiana State University, Department of Computer Information Systems and Decision Sciences
  • E. McLean Georgia State University of Atlanta, Department of Computer Information Systems

Keywords:

Enterprise resource planning, knowledge-based view, Organizational knowledge management, Power users

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative research study to investigate how enterprise resource planning systems impact organizational knowledge. Cognitive mapping methodology was used to capture and analyze the perspectives of senior managers from the IT and user organizations of a major corporation. The results indicate that ERP systems produce effects that make business knowledge become more focused or "convergent" from the perspective of the organization and more wide-ranging or "divergent" from the perspective of the individual. Other important effects include changes to the organization's core competencies and changes in the risk profile regarding the loss of organizational knowledge. The research contributes to the knowledge-based view of enterprise systems.

How to Cite

Baskerville, R., Pawlowski, S., & McLean, E. (2006). Enterprise Resource Planning and Organizational Knowledge: Patterns of Convergence and Divergence. Systèmes d’Information Et Management (French Journal of Management Information Systems), 11(4), 7–28. Retrieved from https://revuesim.org/index.php/sim/article/view/196

Issue

Section

Empirical research