Title: Understanding the human factor: the key to information systems implementation in service operations

Authors: Tauno Kekale, Karen Spens, Kongkiti Phusavat

Addresses: Department of Production, Vaasa University of Applied Science, Wolffintie 30, 65200 Vaasa, Finland. ' Department of Marketing, Hanken School of Economics, P.O. Box 479, 00101 Helsinki, Finland. ' Department of Industrial Engineering, Kasetsart University, 50 Paholyothin Road, Bangkok 10900, Thailand

Abstract: This paper is grounded in the service science approach and attempts to, by presenting an illustrative pharmacy case study, highlight the difficulties of introducing new control systems, whereby often the human dimension involved in the introduction is forgotten. The paper supports other academic literature in the field of operations management, that an early link between the systems introduced and those who will be introduced to the new system be made; this seems to apply to management control systems also. This link requires commitment not only from the parties involved in the use of the new technology but also all other types of actors involved in the process. The paper concludes by proposing a generic framework for control systems implementation in service operations.

Keywords: commitment; ERP systems; information systems; IS implementation; MCS; management control systems; organisational culture; process improvement; resistance; services; enterprise resource planning; operations management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSEM.2011.042787

International Journal of Services, Economics and Management, 2011 Vol.3 No.4, pp.446 - 458

Published online: 04 Oct 2011 *

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