if any, relevant OM literature. The supporting
statements made before each proposition are an
accumulation of ideas/statements formed into a
single like-minded expression. The development
of generalities is acceptable for developing propo-
sitions when a rigorous case-study analysis has
been carried out. (Maffei and Meredith (1995).
The companies who contributed to each statement
are noted after each statement.
Participants were very vocal about the need
to assess the skill and training level of the exist-
ing employees after the implementation. There
was a general dismay at the lack of ERP and
business knowledge residing in companies that
implemented ERP systems. One participant stated:
“People don’t understand how the whole company
operates, just their little corner of the world. They
need to understand that an ERP system requires
timely and accurate data in order to perform the
planning functions. They view transactions as an
afterthought and not ‘real work’ like production.
This mentality is killing our ERP system.”
Three companies (C, D, and F) performed no
formal review of their existing employees’ skill
levels until after the implementation. Companies
A and B did the skill review with in-house senior
managers who had successfully transformed
other divisions, and two managers with multiple
ERP systems installations. Three companies (E,
G, and H) used outside consultants to assess the
current skill level, ability to grow, and amount
of education and training necessary to grow.
The assumption from most management is that
after implementation, a person is fully trained.
This reasoning is misguided because it assumes
that once an employee has gone through an ERP
training program, they now understand the busi-
ness philosophy behind an ERP system. This
analysis found that in all eight firms, process
and job functions changed so radically in the
areas of customer service, production scheduling,
purchasing, inventory, and logistics that some
employees who were deemed adequate or better
performers before the implementation were not