Effects of internal support and consultant quality on the consulting process and ERP system quality

ERP implementation, as a change initiative, is a challenge facing any organization and requires strong support from top management and users. However, internal support is inadequate to overcome client deficiencies in the resources and abilities essential to ERP implementation, implying that the assistance of outside experts is inevitable. This study presents a conceptual framework to investigate how human inputs (top management, users, and external consultants) are linked to communication effectiveness and conflict resolution in the ERP consulting process, as well as the effects of these factors on the quality of the system implemented. Through a survey of 85 ERP implementation projects in Taiwanese manufacturers, the study demonstrates that competent consultants can facilitate communication and conflict resolution in the ERP consulting process and assist in improving ERP system quality. The findings indicate that top management support indirectly enhances ERP system quality through its positive effect on conflict resolution in the consulting process. The results also show that high user support enhances communication effectiveness; however, communication effectiveness does not influence conflict resolution and ERP system quality. The implications and the limitations of the study are discussed. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.