Striking the Right Balance When Users are Good at IT Too!: Partnering for Enterprise System Success

Enterprise-level information system (IS) implementations are risky endeavors that require the active engagement of diverse parties from within the organization to meet the technical and functional requirements of the implementation, and mitigate possible resistance to the implemented system. Past research on IS implementation has traditionally pointed to the IT department as the sole source of technical competence, and confined the potential contribution of the user base to functional expertise. Furthermore, this line of research consistently identifies the IT department as the leaders of such projects, further confining the user base to sideline consulting roles during these initiatives. However, today’s business professionals increasingly possess IT competence and capability of contributing to the technical side of IS implementations. This study focuses on the balance of IT competence within the multi-functional enterprise-level IS implementation team, brought on by a more technically competent user base, and examines its impact on project success.