The Post Implementation Phase of a Large-Scale Integrative IT Project

In this chapter the authors focus on the iterative process that occurs within the implementation phase of an ERP which they depict as a series of learning cycles: managers make decisions, identify mistakes, and accumulate experience (lessons learned). They examine these “learning cycles” through the lens of absorptive capacity and they use a case study and a qualitative perspective. The authors identify a number of tradeoffs that represent the learning paths of Alpha Co. and find that such learning process is path dependent, organizational memory plays a fundamental role, and double loop cycles contribute in the development of absorptive capacity seen as a dynamic capability.