Change factors in Enterprise 2.0 initiatives: Can we learn from ERP?

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Change factors in Enterprise 2.0 initiatives: Can we learn from ERP? Tim Kuettner & Roland Diehl & Petra Schubert

Received: 16 October 2012 / Accepted: 18 August 2013 / Published online: 1 October 2013 # Institute of Information Management, University of St. Gallen 2013

Abstract The rise of social software and Enterprise 2.0 sees organizations rapidly deploying collaboration technologies. Implementing new technology entails change and challenges, and these aspects of Enterprise 2.0 have not been adequately addressed by research. This study investigates change factors specific to Enterprise 2.0 initiatives to contribute to our understanding of their characteristics and idiosyncrasies. Drawing upon grounded theory, we analyze 16 case studies and integrate the results in the context of socio-technical change. To contrast the findings, similarities and distinctions between Enterprise 2.0 and ERP projects are discussed. We further explore and evaluate the conclusions by conducting expert interviews with senior professionals in the field of Enterprise 2.0. Our results indicate Enterprise 2.0 initiatives involve specific change factors, require distinct management strategies and shape new roles in the organization. The findings can enable practitioners in navigating the pitfalls of transferring and applying change management to a new field. For researchers, the study constitutes a point of departure to empirically examine change in Enterprise 2.0 initiatives. Keywords Enterprise 2.0 . Change management . Socio-technical change . ERP . Enterprise collaboration systems . Social software

JEL classification O33

Responsible Editor: Ulrike E. Lechner T. Kuettner (*) : R. Diehl : P. Schubert University of Koblenz-Landau, Universitaetsstr. 1, Koblenz 56070, Germany e-mail: [email protected]

Introduction and overview Social software and Enterprise 2.0 are increasingly perceived as a major shift in the information technology industry: analyst firm IDC ranks social networks among the top four IT trends responsible for 80 % of growth in IT investment (IDC 2011). Gartner research reports collaboration technologies have become one of the top five technology priorities of CIOs (Gartner 2012a), and counts social customer relationship management and activity streams among the fast moving, emerging technologies to reach the plateau of productivity within 2 to 5 years (Gartner 2012b). Miles (2010) observes that 95 % of their survey respondents are familiar with the term Enterprise 2.0, and more than half (55 %) state Enterprise 2.0 to be important or very important to business success, an assessment shared by 80 % of the youngest demographic segment. In light of this development, Enterprise 2.0 is an important field for research to explore. As is usually the case in novel research fields, a plethora of research addresses the field’s definition, explicating its terms and boundaries (e.g., Koch 2008; Levy 2009; McAfee 2006) and deriving classification criteria (e.g., Back and Irmler 2012; Kaplan and Haenlein 2010; Will