Experiences of Cultures in Global ERP Implementation

The chapter considers the complexities of cultural differences for global enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation. An extensive review of the literature related to societal and organizational culture is followed by a delineation of the stages of ERP implementation and the actors involved in each stage, reflecting the basic assumption that global ERP systems are not universally acceptable or effective, and that testing the cross-cultural generalizability of ERP systems in organizations will produce a managerial agenda that facilitates the implementation process. The recognition and discussion of these differences can provide a stimulus for identifying and modifying the limitations of technological implementation and use policies to improve the benefits generated by the technology. Topics of explicit concern to ERP implementation in global organizational economies related to organizational and societal culture are discussed, and suggestions for managerial mechanisms for overcoming major obstacles in this process are proposed.