Abstract

Culture plays a vital role in the acceptance and effective utilization of information technologies. As a value-laden artefact, information technology (IT), such an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, is likely to introduce a counterculture in conflict with the implementing organization. Yet, how cultural alignment between IT and the implementing organization develops over time in a multicultural context is unknown. This research presents a dynamic process of cultural alignment, outlining the steps and events that lead to the alignment of cultural issues between an ERP system and the adopting organization at national, sectoral, organizational and group levels. Drawing on a longitudinal case study of a logistics service provider’s ERP system deployment across France, Italy, Morocco and Tunisia, this study shows that cultural alignment involves four key steps – requirement analysis, ERP selection, cultural misfit resolution and user testing – that are strongly influenced by technical, operational and organizational constraints. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the dynamic and intricate nature of the cultural alignment process, involving both the organization and technology.

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