Abstract
Many companies operate using some form of a unified, enterprise-wide, computerized software solution known as an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system which is used to monitor, control, standardize, and automate administrative tasks within a company’s business functions such as financial accounting, customer service, supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, and production planning to name a few. ERP systems are a large financial investment for companies and are an integral part of executing daily activities. As a result, these systems are traditionally long-lived with companies and may be in use for many years. With any tool, however, newer versions or different brands may become better suited to the needs of an organization as they grow, and a new implementation or migration to a new system may be necessary for survival. When a company decides to move towards or implement a new or updated version of an ERP system, companies frequently experience an increase in the rate of employee turnover during and shortly after the project goes live. Employee roles and responsibilities may increase, change, or be outright eliminated throughout an ERP implementation, as it may be necessary to redesign current business processes to better align with how the new system operates functionally As there is support for the idea that changes in a person’s job are likely to influence their attitudes toward their job the implementation project of an ERP system will likely influence an employee’s job satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of employees who work through an ERP system implementation and secondarily identify areas of improvement, if any, that can be addressed to reduce employee turnover or dissatisfaction iv as a result of the implementation. As turnover costs are expensive and risky for companies, the goal of this research was to uncover how human-level attributes or considerations may be accounted for during a software migration of which is more commonly thought of as a process and technology project – lessening cost, stress, and risk for a company as a result.