Desktop: How Culture In An International Multi-Locational Travel Organisation Affects The Successful Implementation Of Technology Solutions-Two Years On

Abstract

This paper is a follow-up on a multi-site travel organisation (Company X) which, two years ago, was moving from traditional hierarchical functional departments (“silos”) to an empowered, “delayered” enterprise business culture. This was precipitated by the desire to add value and implement cultural change in tandem with the acquisition of a new computer system at the cost of forty two million pounds. Given the increasing costs, both in terms of money and time to design and implement new information systems in large organisations, it was seen as crucial to attain high acceptability and internal customer satisfaction, particularly within a company with significant powerful stakeholders. The initial process of selection of technology solution was examined in a previous paper and this work looks at a case study of the implementation of DESKTOP, an EDS/ORACLE based management information system within Company X where a platform had been developed for their legacy system. Initially a seamless transformation was anticipated with high levels of user satisfaction. This paper follows up on the last two years of implementation ENTERPRISE, the successor to DESKTOP, with a focus on the impact of the internal cultural diversities of management on the implementation process. Various methodologies are used to gather the required data including a literature review and in depth interviews with a sample of key decision makers within the company. This research concludes that a cultural shift and change management programme is required to handle successful implementation of the chosen technology solution.