Lessons Learnt from the Successful Adoption of an ERP: The Central Role of Trust

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are large and complex software packages that integrate and manage the information needs of companies. One of the important aspects of ERP adoption is the need for extensive technical support prior to its actual use, typically by specialized consultants. This study examines the adoption of a specific ERP and analyzes the impact of users’ trust in the consultants on their assessment of and self-reported use of the ERP. The study also examines antecedents of this trust. Mail survey data from 135 companies indeed shows that, as hypothesized, self-reported use was affected by perceived usefulness alone, but that trust was an influential antecedent of users’ assessments of the ERP. The data also support the hypothesized role of dependability, and responsiveness regarding both software and service on trust. Implications for the ERP and software consulting industry are discussed.

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