Post-Implementation Use of a Complex Technology: The Case of a Southeastern U.S. University

Abstract

This chapter reports on a qualitative research study conducted within a Southeastern U.S. university, which investigated how organizational members appropriated an ERP package over time. A framework suggested by Lassila and Brancheau (1999), which distinguishes different states of software usage, was found to be particularly appropriate in understanding ERP usage. The research, which used a grounded theory methodology supported by the software Atlas.ti®, uncovered different transition patterns of use exhibited by organizational members. Research findings suggest how the practice of informal learning was key in understanding how organizational members transited from one state of use to another.