An emergent model of endusers' acceptance of enterprise resource planning systems: A grounded theory approach

The success of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation depends, to a large extent, on end-users' acceptance of ERP systems, which in turn affects the intensity and nature of system use. To understand the phenomenon underlying end-users' acceptance of ERP systems, the authors conducted a grounded theory research in a large institution that implemented an ERP system. Through systematic coding and content analysis, the authors inductively derived a theoretical model to explain end-users' acceptance of ERP systems. Three categories - beliefs about the system, changes in job scope, and social influence - emerged from the data as direct antecedents of user acceptance. The data also suggest that "beliefs about the system" mediates the influence of "training and support" and "personal characteristics" on user acceptance, whereas "personal characteristics" moderate the influence of "changes in job scope" on user acceptance. The theoretical model that emerged from this qualitative study extends existing models of user acceptance by providing a more complete understanding of end-users' acceptance of ERP systems.