Exploring the use of Enterprise Content Management Systems in replication types of organizations

Abstract

Depending on the nature of businesses, the use of ECMS can be very different from one organization to another. However, current understanding on why and how such variation exists is limited. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to better understand how highly standardized businesses known as replication organizations use ECMS to support their business processes. This research takes a view that there is an interaction between organizational context, ECMS technologies and users that shaped the ways ECMS are used. A case study approach was used to study this interaction in two replication organizations. Arising from these case studies are insights into the differing interactions that occur between institutional, interpretive and technological conditions that shaped ECMS-use. Based on the comparisons of the two cases, this study has concluded that replication organizations may use ECMS in three ways, for: (1) information sharing that supports a standardized process structure, (2) building custom workflows that support standardized processes, and (3) analysis and decision making. These findings make a significant contribution in such that there is a guide for organizations that are highly standardized to support employees in achieving their intended ECMS-use, to understand reasons for ECMS failures and underutilization and to exploit technologies investments.

The Role of Business Processes in Influencing the Decision Support Capabilities of Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS): Towards a Framework

“…The second generation of ECM researchers (Brocke et al, 2008, Alalwan, 2012, Arshad et al, 2012, Zardini et al, 2010, Grahlmann et al, 2009, McNally, 2010, Kunstová, 2010, Wiltzius et al, 2011 built on the previous work to investigate the non-operational benefits of ECMS. Some researchers argue that the managerial aspect of ECMS, such as improvement of decision-making and information sharing has received less focus compared to the operational aspects of ECMS (Alalwan et al, 2014, Zardini et al, 2010, Arshad et al, 2012. This argument is supported by the previous work of Smith and McKeen (2003), which argues that "very few firms have yet developed the capability to aggregate, analyse, and use content to make informed decisions that will lead to action and generate business value".…”

“…Even though there is no specific previous study related to decision-making from an ECMS perspective that might help to explain how ECMS may be used to facilitate decision-making processes, the work of Arshad et al (2012) may serve as a guide for further exploration of the relationship between ECMS-use and decision-making processes. Arshad et al (2012) proposes four types of ECMS-use for sharing of business-related information: minimal-use, standard adoption-use, customised-use and leveraged-use. However, this framework is designed for sharing of business processes.…”

“…However, prior research indicates that many organisations are struggling to achieve managerial and strategic benefits from the use of ECMS (Salamntu and Seymour, 2014, Paivarinta and Munkvold, 2005, Munkvold et al, 2006, Arshad et al, 2012, Vom Brocke et al, 2008, Alalwan, 2012. In reality, most organisations prefer a bottom-up approach that leads to immediate benefits such as cost reduction, work simplification, ability to re-use previous content and improved searching functions (Smith and McKeen, 2003).…”

“…Responding to this issue, Arshad et al (2012) produced an ECMS-user framework that shows how ECMS can facilitate information sharing in different types of organisations. However, research on the use of ECMS in facilitating decision-making is limited.…”

Enterprise Content Management technologies supporting unified businesses

“…user communities, knowledge) [17][18][19][20]. Therefore, future researchers should take this interaction into account when studying the use of this technology [23][24][25][26][27][28][29].…”