Knowledge retention in ERP implementations: the context of UK SMEs |
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Authors: | Uchitha Jayawickrama Shaofeng Liu Melanie Hudson Smith Pervaiz Akhtar Mamoon Al Bashir |
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Affiliation: | 1. School of Computing and Digital Technologies, Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;2. uchitha.jayawickrama@staffs.ac.uk;4. Plymouth Business School, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;5. Bristol Business School, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;6. Management Systems, Logistics Institute, Faculty of Business, Law and Politics, University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;7. IESEG School of Management, Université Catholique de Lille, Lille, France;8. School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
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Abstract: | AbstractKnowledge retention (k-retention) is vital for various enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementations in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), though it is a highly demanding and challenging task. The aim of this paper is to investigate different types of approaches to k-retention and factors influencing k-retention in SMEs. Our study adopts a grounded theory approach with cases based on 12 ERP implementations in UK SMEs. We analyze our data using thematic analysis. The findings reveal specific elements that support the k-retention of ERP package knowledge and business process knowledge. These elements are: k-retention tools, documentation, human capital and the understanding of k-retention challenges. In addition to insights from these aspects, our study reveals two additional factors (project management and organizational culture) that influence ERP package k-retention and business process k-retention. Based on these findings, we develop an ERP k-retention (EKR) framework that can be utilized by SMEs which are considering implementing ERP systems, to facilitate knowledge retention during implementation. |
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Keywords: | Enterprise resource planning ERP implementation knowledge management knowledge retention UK SMEs EKR framework |
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