ERP implementation as a broad socio-economic phenomenon The agora of techno-organisational change

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation that goes beyond the restricted time and space limits of a project-based restructuring effort, and to understanding of it as a broader socio-economic phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach - A case study of the adoption and implementation of an ERP in a Greek bank is examined through an extended multi-level analytical framework based on Pettigrew's "contextualist" and "processual" research model. The metaphor of the ancient Athenian agora is used to theorise the socio-economic environment around ERP implementation. In-depth, semi-structured interviews and documents were used as data. Findings - Findings suggest that although ERP implementation is seen by the majority of relevant IS literature as happening locally in restricted time-frame, project-based efforts, it rather emerges from broader socio-economic contexts of the agora of techno-organisational change. Different actors develop bounded understandings (viewpoints) of the agora which they use to navigate and engage it. A viewpoint is also a mechanism to link an actor's local circumstances with broad socio-economic developments. Research limitations/implications - The context of financial services/markets offers possibilities for future research around ERP given the ongoing need for integration of legacy systems. Future case studies in financial service organisations could provide a link between frequent financial crises and technological development. Also, future studies of multiple ERP implementations as well as studies focusing on ERP suppliers' choices, could add a comparative dimension useful to understand alternative agora configurations. Practical implications - Practitioners should approach ERP implementation as a broad socio-economic phenomenon instead of a project-based episode of change. Originality/value - Originality lies on the development of an extended, multi-level analytical approach and on the introduction of a new spatial metaphor for understanding the socio-economic environment around ERP implementation.