Abstract
At the present moment, many hospitals are going through a process of change directed at the integrated delivery of health care. Enterprise Systems (ES) are increasingly used to support this process and to manage hospitals on a coherent basis. We also know, however, that ES implementation itself, can be viewed as an organizational change process that affects many stakeholders. For that reason it is relevant to study how ES implementation takes place within hospitals and how it tends to impact the existing organizational arrangements. The purpose of this chapter is therefore to describe and analyze how ES implementation within a hospital affects the interests of stakeholders and which specific problems may arise as a result. This chapter uses the evidence of a case study to reveal some important dimensions of the organizational change issues related to ES implementation within hospitals.
TopBackground
Enterprise systems are software applications aimed at integrating a range of business functions in order to acquire an overview of the business based on a single information architecture (Merode, van., 2004). Starting from manufacturing and financial systems, enterprise systems may eventually allow the integration of inter-organizational supply chains (Markus et al., 2000; Fowler et al., 2003). Enterprise systems are multi-functional and cover a range of activities, such as logistics, human resources and finance. These functions are integrated in such a way that whenever data are entered into one of these functions, they become available to all related functions. Enterprise systems are modular and can be used in many combinations of modules. They link the different organizational units by coordinating the business processes.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Stakeholder of an Enterprise System: An individual or group who can affect or can be affected by the implementation of an enterprise system.
Stakeholder Salience Theory: Divides stakeholders in seven types depending on their degree of power, urgency and legitimacy. These types are: dormant, discretionary, demanding, dominant, dependent, dangerous and definitive.
Interest of Stakeholders: The interest of a stakeholder reflects the perception that an IOS contributes to the overall goals of the stakeholder.
Enterprise System: Enterprise systems are software applications aimed at integrating a range of business functions in order to acquire an overview of the business based on a single information architecture
Power: Power is the capacity to exert the will over others in order to realize certain intended benefits.
Power (Re)distribution: Power (re)distribution is the degree to which power is distributed within and between organizations and the extent that an enterprise system changes that division of power.