Abstract
An interesting phenomenon that has received limited attention in the extant literature is that of IT workaround practices. Based on Ashby's Law of Requisite Variety, workarounds were found to be used to accomplish the basic task of matching unmatched variety in the system. The Interaction Effectiveness (IE) ratio of 1.4 was used as a baseline to uncover potential sources of workarounds. The Echo method was used to collect data from 42 users in a high-technology company (HTC). Enablers of and barriers to workaround practices were divided into four main categories - flexibility, reliability, ease of use, and - whereas workarounds were divided into three categories - other tools, seeking help, and accepting. The results of the case study indicate that reliability is the dominant category for both helpful and non-helpful incidents, whereas coordination was the least significant. Of the workaround mechanisms, using other tools was the most significant category for all users. The findings suggest cycles of continuous improvement to the IE ratio to alleviate the need for workarounds, but a more fundamental issue concerning the source of workaround behaviors is a function of misfits between input variety by users and variety handling capabilities of the system.
Highlights
Despite broad recognition of ERP systems for their seamless integration of all information flows within organizations and their ability to standardize the processes of different departments [1], [2], substantial research has shown that many ERP systems are unexpectedly complex to adopt, and their ultimate benefits are uncertain, resulting in suboptimal operating practices [3], [4]
This study demonstrates that the interaction effectiveness (IE) ratio can be used in several ways to assess the interaction between users and ERP systems within organizations
Organizational environments are becoming more difficult to handle and predict, with ongoing, dramatic changes in technology. These ongoing changes to organizations may result in unforeseen variety that cannot be handled by a formal system
Summary
Despite broad recognition of ERP systems for their seamless integration of all information flows within organizations and their ability to standardize the processes of different departments [1], [2], substantial research has shown that many ERP systems are unexpectedly complex to adopt, and their ultimate benefits are uncertain, resulting in suboptimal operating practices [3], [4]. The challenges to ERP system implementation and success include, but are not limited to, inflexibility [5]; disturbance to organizational culture [6]; the requirement of significant investments of money, time, and expertise [7]; strain on the organization [4]; and inadequate training and support for end users [8]. When IT systems are perceived as a barrier, two distinct but related phenomena may be observed: resistance to change and workaround practices. Resistance to change is usually perceived as a negative behavior in which users oppose the disturbance of a perceived flaw in a system [10]. Workaround practices are seen as a positive behavior in which users adapt in order to overcome the shortcomings of a system [10]
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