Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
554590 | Information & Management | 2006 | 10 Pages |
This paper focuses on how and to what extent homogenization coincides with the deployment of ERP-systems. Using the work of DiMaggio and Powell on isomorphic pressures, we argue that the use of ERP-systems may in several ways lead to standardization within and between organizations. Competitive and institutional pressures play a role in ERP-adoption. We introduce a novel form of isomorphism, technical isomorphism. This plays a role in ERP-implementation and manifests itself in the enactment of blueprints for centralization and standard working procedures that are embedded in the ERP-software. A case study of a Dutch publishing company illustrates how coercive and technical isomorphism jointly lead to adaptation of the organization to the system, although the firm aimed to differentiate itself from its competitors.