5. People changes Implementation of enterprise technology, such as CRM and ERP, requires changes to organizational culture (Al-Mashari and Zairi, 2000). While both technology and business processes are both critical to successful CRM
initiatives, it is the individual employees who are the building blocks of customer relationships. There are several underlying dimensions surrounding management and employees that successful CRM implementations require.
Top management commitment is an essential element for bringing an innovation online and ensuring delivery of promised benefits. Top management commitment, however, is much more than a CEO giving his or her blessing to the CRM project. Customer-centric management requires top management support and commitment to CRM throughout the entire CRM
implementation. Without it, momentum quickly dies out. Furthermore, top management should set the stage in CRM initiatives for leadership, strategic direction and alignment of vision and business goals (Herington and Peterson,
2000). This view was reinforced in a recent META Group Report (1998) that singled out top management support and involvement as a key success factor for CRM implementations.