پیوند رابطه ای برای یک جو انتقال دانش برتر: تحقیق اجرای برنامه ریزی منابع سازمانی (ERP)

While prior studies on ERP implementation have largely focused on the importance of best practices, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of the knowledge transfer climate and relationship bonding. The model categorizes the factors that influence the result of knowledge transfer during ERP implementation into three types: those implemented by the firm, those implemented by the consultant, and those related to the impact of the knowledge transfer climate. The bonding factors from the two former aspects facilitate the building of a better knowledge transfer climate. A total of 174 respondents are surveyed with results subjected to multivariate analysis. The significance of bonding factors is verified, and the role that the knowledge transfer climate plays in the knowledge transfer process and the impact on the transfer process are developed. This paper provides a broader, richer model of knowledge transfer networks to promote insight into successful ERP implementation. In practice, the key to effective knowledge transfer is the establishment of a positive knowledge transfer climate. To achieve a successful ERP implementation, practitioners should focus on developing a positive relationship with ERP implementation partners.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a powerful and sophisticated software package supporting a wide range of organizational transaction information and processes [62]. In comparison with traditional information systems, the major difference of ERP lies in its power to provide integrated and streamlined internal information to synergize work in the supply chain for businesses to create new competitive advantages [14], [24], [77] and [87]. Improper implementation of ERP, on the other hand, can cause considerable trouble for the implementing companies [65]. Therefore most companies rely on external consultants and best practices to assure successful implementation [12], [21], [26], [38], [62] and [90]. However, even the use of consultants and best practices does still not guarantee success. Recent studies reported that the failure rate of ERP projects still exceeds 50%, even when supported by consultants and following best practices [39], [54] and [94]. This indicates that something is missing from the whole picture of successful ERP implementation. From a knowledge learning perspective, Ko et al. [50] suggested that the main reason for this high failure rate is the complexity of restructuring unique logistics operations by the implementing firm, as well as the adoption of a new system. Members of an ERP implementation project team, composed of staff from the implementing firm and consultants, bring different levels of understanding of current processes and the system to be implemented. Therefore, a prerequisite to a successful ERP implementation is to ensure that all team members have certain key knowledge. For example, once a firm has decided to implement an ERP system, the firm's staff needs to learn from the consultants the skills required to operate this new system; the consultants also need to map the firm's existing organizational processes to configure the system to suit the particular organizational context [50], [61] and [68]. Hence, a successful ERP project may not assured by the implementation of best practices alone, and the degree of knowledge transfer between those two participating parties is also critical.

Organizations implementing an ERP system must consider how to best deploy this huge and complicated system through the management of knowledge transfer among participants. This study seeks to address the issue of knowledge transfer by examining the formation of the knowledge transfer climate and relationship bonds. This paper describes the complex challenges facing implementation team members as they restructure their processes to match the new system. The study presents two major findings: (1) Relationship bonding and the knowledge transfer climate are important parts of improving knowledge transfer in ERP implementation; and (2) relationship bonding between team members needs to be deliberately cultivated, so as to develop a climate that promotes knowledge transfer. We find that, by isolating the important factors that encourage the knowledge transfer in ERP implementation, knowledge transfer will be complex but need not be chaotic [23]. Future research may suggest ways to promote knowledge transfer with greater confidence and precision, and help companies further improve the likelihood of a successful ERP implementation. This study has two limitations that provide opportunities for future research. First, our study focused specifically on how knowledge transfer between the firm and the consultant contributes to a better outcome of ERP implementation, and paid limited attention to many other managerial areas and variables, e.g., system or technology-related factors that can influence the magnitude of implementation. Future research can capture more variables from other domains to further enhance our understanding of ERP implementation. Secondly, the factors of bonding were limited to those related to ERP implementation. Since the bonding factors may differ between industries, the implications of causal relationships between the constructs in the model must be made with caution. We suggest that other researchers could test this model based on empirical data from different industries and countries.