Determinants of Enterprise System Adoption across the System Lifecycle: Insights from a Transition Economy

This study’s goal is to investigate the determinants of enterprise system (ES) adoption projects across the system lifecycle in transition economies. On the basis of research conducted among ES practitioners in Poland, an example of a transition economy, the analysis revealed 29 determinants of ES adoptions and examined their changing criticality across the system lifecycle. In doing so, this study adopted a holistic approach where determinants are understood as both critical success factors and barriers. While investigating determinants across the system lifecycle, the analysis employed the Cooper and Zmud’s six-stage model of IT diffusion. The main results suggest that over time determinants shift from issues connected with management personnel towards system-related issues. The findings also suggest that infrastructure, people’s knowledge and attitudes have a greater significance in transition economies than in developed countries. At the same time, ES practitioners from transition economies pay much less attention to BPR.