The construction of the relationship between ERP and the organisation through negotiation

This paper questions the relationship between the ERP and the buyer’s organisation and the validity of the deterministic and social constructivism arguments in the ERP case. It follows the implementation of ERP in an international organisation and through the Actor Network Theory (ANT) analysis introduces the concept of negotiation as an account for the process of implementing ERP. The findings suggest that the relationship between the ERP and the organisation is constructed through negotiation that is not based on the pretext that one side would dominate the other. The issue then is not about domination but rather how the negotiation and controversy between them ends up. The paper ends by discussing the theoretical and practical implication of the findings.