Archetypes for Managing ERP Systems

The ERP journey has taken us beyond implementation, into the second wave of ERP. One interesting question in this second wave is how the ERP system is managed and what role the ERP system plays in the organization after some years of implementation. These questions are addressed in this paper. In our research of 20 case-studies we found certain similarities and differences in the patterns which coalesced around three alternatives in the way organizations approach the managing of ERP in the second wave. We describe these archetypes, which we call the Calculators, the Co-players and the Drivers, and we present illustrative cases of each of the archetypes. The archetypes are believed to play an important role in conveying the essential differences existing in alternative ways in which organizations manage their ERP system during the second wave.