Toward an integrative view for the leader-member exchange of system implementation

•This study attempts to shed some light on the role of leadership in the system implementation process by moving beyond the usual “Top management support” based on the literature review.•Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is introduced in this study to better understand this missing piece.•The paper provides an important insight on the IS implementation.•Theoretical and practical implications based on the literature review are discussed in the paper.

Change creates a sense of uncertainty and lost control, and employees’ resistance and lack of support in addition to lower levels of acceptance represent some of the most cited causes for failures associated with organizational change. Based on the literature review, this study attempts to shed some light on the role of leadership in the system implementation and information management process by moving beyond the usual “Top management support”. A missing piece from the leadership puzzle as it relates to system implementation is an exploration of how top management support gets translated in the organizational hierarchy. Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) is introduced in this study to better understand this missing piece. Studies that looked at LMX as it relate to change has found those who enjoy higher quality relationships with their supervisors have the strongest change climate perceptions. Given the aforementioned limitations and gaps that exist in the literature, this study attempts to propose the integrative view by integrating relevant literature from other disciplines, specifically from the innovation implementation, change management, and leadership literatures. Through the integrative view of literature review, the paper provides an important insight on the system implementation and information management. Theoretical and practical implications based on the literature review are discussed in the paper.