Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the six decades since organisations rst adopted computer machinery
to support their operations this form of technology has undergone rapid evolution.
This evolution is characterised by both the advancement of the machines
themselves and the expansion of their application in the organisational
domain through the development of increasingly advanced software. A particularly
in uential development for large enterprises has been the introduction
of computerised Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERPs) and the popularisation
of proprietary ERP packages.
By integrating the feature sets of an increasingly wide range of business
software applications ERPs enable organisations to satisfy a large part of their
information processing requirements by adopting a single software artefact.
This approach o ers numerous bene ts to adopters as it ensures the integration
of information processing activities across organisational functions. However,
the realisation of these bene ts depends upon the organisation's ability
to achieve congruence between its own structures and those embedded in
proprietary ERP packages. This includes, on one level, the management of
the processes of adaptation through which organisational actors become accustomed
to a new technology and, on another level, the con guration and
alignment of the artefact with the organisation's operating procedures. Despite the popularity of ERP adoption the achievement of congruence in
information systems is an illusive ideal for many organisations. Accordingly,
many Information Systems (IS) scholars have researched the organisational,
technical and social factors which obstruct congruence and the interventions
proposed to counter these. A key nding following from these investigations is
that, notwithstanding the implementation of countering interventions, organisations
often need to continue operations while experiencing some degree of
incongruence or mis t in their information systems. The research performed
in this study advances knowledge about this phenomenon by investigating the
implications of incongruence for the behaviour of users of proprietary ERPs in
organisations.
Weickean Sensemaking Theory is adopted as conceptual framework to enable
the investigation of instances of incongruence as events experienced by
users in the context of their work environments. The theory dictates that
users, rather than passively adopting the impositions of software artefacts, en-
act information systems in unpredictable ways based on subjective and shared
processes of sensemaking. An empirical investigation is performed and takes
the form of a single, cross-sectional case study in which a variety of data collection
techniques are utilised. The data sources are analysed and triangulated
to trace the relationship between experiences of incongruence and patterns of
information systems enactment among the user community.
The ndings of the study reveal that experiences of incongruence cultivate
knowledge sharing among a user community, a process which aligns their
beliefs about the nature, role and use of a technology in an organisation. Furthermore,
experiences of incongruence encourage users to augment designed
technologies through the development informal information processing activities
and alternative work ows. These forms of behaviour, while resolving
users' experiences incongruence, lead to variance between the designed technology
and the enacted technology creating various risks for the integrity of
the organisation's business processes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die ses dekades sedert organisasies rekenaar masjinerie begin toepas
het om hul bedrywighede te ondersteun, het hierdie vorm van tegnologie
dramatiese ontwikkeling ondergaan. Hierdie ontwikkeling word gekenmerk
deur beide die bevordering van die masjiene self, asook die uitbreiding van
hul toepassings in die organisatoriese domein deur die ontwikkeling van meer
gevorderde sagteware. 'n Besonder invloedryke ontwikkeling vir groot ondernemings
was die bekendstelling van gerekenariseerde Enterprise Resource Plan-
ning Systems (ERPs) en die popularisering van kommersiële ERP pakkette.
Deur die integrasie van 'n toenemend wye verskeidenheid funksionaliteit
stel ERPs organisasies in staat om 'n groot deel van hul inligting verwerking
vereistes deur die aanneming van 'n enkele sagteware produk te dek - 'n
benadering wat talle voordele bied aangesien dit die integrasie van inligting
verwerking tussen organisatoriese funksies verseker. Die verwesenliking van
hierdie voordele is egter afhanklik van die organisasie se vermoë om kongruensie
tussen sy eie strukture en die van ERP pakkette te bewerkstelling. Dit
sluit die bestuur van prosesse waartydens organisatoriese akteurs aanpas by 'n nuwe tegnologie in, asook die kon gurasie van die pakket om belyning met die
organisasie se operasionele prosedures te verseker.
Ten spyte van die gewildheid van ERPs is die bereiking van kongruensie in
inligtingstelsels 'n ontwykende ideaal vir baie organisasies. Gevolglik word die
organisatoriese, tegniese en sosiale faktore wat kongruensie belemmer gereeld
deur Information Systems (IS) akademici ondersoek. 'n Prominenete bevinding
wat uit hierdie navorsing voortspruit is dat organisasies dikwels hul werk
moet voortsit ten spyte van inkongruensie in hul inligtingstelsels. In hierdie
studie word die bovermelde fenomeen verder ondersoek deur die implikasies van
inkongruensie vir die gedrag van gebruikers van kommersiële ERP pakkette te
ondersoek.
Weick se Sensemaking teorie word toegepas as konseptuele raamwerk om
gevalle van inkongruensie as gebeure wat deur gebruikers ervaar word te ondersoek.
Die teorie bepaal dat die gebruikers nie bloot rekenaarstelsels aanvaar
nie, maar dit op onvoorspelbare maniere enact op grond van subjektiewe en
gedeelde prosesse van singewing. 'n Gevallestudie word uitgevoer waarin 'n
verskeidenheid data-insamelingstegnieke gebruik word. Die databronne word
ontleed en kruisvalidasie word gedoen om die verhouding tussen ervarings van
inkongruensie en patrone van gedrag binne inligtingstelsels te beskryf.
Die bevindinge van die studie dui daarop dat ervarings van inkongruensie
die deel van kennis binne 'n gebruikersgemeenskap tot gevolg het. Hierdie
proses belyn gebruikers se verwysingsraamwerke oor die aard, rol en gebruik
van 'n tegnologie in 'n organisasie. Verder word bevind dat gebruikers, agv
ervarings van inkongruensie, 'n tegnologie uitbrei dmv die ontwikkeling van
informele inligting verwerkingstegnieke en alternatiewe werksprosesse. Hierdie
gedrag stel gebruikers in staat om inkongruensie te oorkom, maar lei tot variansie
tussen die ontwerpte tegnologie en die toepassing daarvan binne die
organisasie. Dit hou verskeie risiko's vir die integriteit van die organisasie se
besigheidsprosesse in.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/85663 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Le Roux, Daniel Bartholomeus |
| Contributors | Kinghorn, Johann, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | xvi, 287 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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