Converging Perceptions After a Crisis Leading to Successful Change - Dynamics of CSFs in a Post-Merger ERP Program

Research on Critical Success Factors (CSFs) for ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) implementations has paid so far little attention to (1) ERP programs and challenges stemming from interdependent, related projects, and (2) intergroup relations, which are particularly evident in these implementations. We approach this gap and identify CSFs through a single, interpretive, post-merger case study of a complex ERP program, using a grounded theory approach, particularly as a coding technique. We use the Social Identity Theory (SIT) as a lens for understanding the dynamics within the ERP program life-cycle. Our results suggest that, within the ERP program the perceptions of different groups were diverging, which contributed to the crisis within the main project. However, a positive reflection and converging views after the crisis eventually resulted in a successful program. Using the SIT perspective was valuable to interpret the identified CSFs, which offer important implications for research and practice.