Looking Back, Looking In and Looking On: Treading Over the ERP Battleground

Abstract

This chapter addresses the topic of organizational change brought about through the implementation of an enterprise resource planning system (ERP) at one of Queensland’s regional universities. This chapter describes the institution’s development and its increasing reliance on corporate information systems. The unsuccessful attempt to resolve problems associated with these systems, in particular the student record system via the Core Australian Specification for Management and Administrative Computing (CASMAC) project, is explored. How the need for ERP adoption was presented to staff is then examined. The reactions of staff to the implementation experience are then explored using preliminary results from focus group interviews. The chapter concludes by comparing the expectations, reactions, and outcomes of the ERP project with some recommendations suggested for improving organizational change induced by ERP implementation.