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Abstract:
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Enterprise Systems (ES) are generally considered the price of entry for running a
business. With the increased scope of ESs to encompass nearly every function or
business process of a modern organization, an increasing number of different users are
adopting and using the systems. These users occupy a number of different
organizational roles which include a wide variety of different tasks in organizations
and have very different requirements for ESs. To ensure a better fit between users and
ESs, a number of ES vendors have begun to focus on reflecting the concept of
organizational roles of users in their systems. Limited research has, however,
addressed these “role-oriented” ESs; this dissertation attempts to provide a better
understanding of them by studying their design, implementation, and use.
The research design for this dissertation is based on Case Studies and the Grounded
Theory Method with qualitative empirical data collected across three types of actors in
an ES ecosystem: Vendors; partner companies; and customers. The findings are
primarily presented in six appended research papers that are aimed at both researchers
and practitioners. The main contribution of the dissertation is an improved
understanding of: Representation of organizational roles in the deep and surface
structures of ESs; the mapping, configuration, and tailoring of predefined systems roles
to fit actual roles of users in organizations; and the potential benefits and role-related
misfits of role-oriented ESs. Through discussion of the findings, the dissertation also
illustrates how the design of role-oriented ESs is influenced by the different actors in
an ecosystem. The dissertation also illustrates how systems, organizations, processes,
and roles can be aligned during implementation by shifting basis and conceptual focus
in the requirements analysis. Finally, the dissertation explains the impact of roleoriented
technology on organizational performance and how this technology may
influence the existing perception of the role taking process in organizations. |
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