Impact of National and Organizational Cultures on Information System Implementation in the Shipping Industry - A case study at a Swedish shipping company
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Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master Thesis
Master Thesis
Program
Management and economics of innovation (MPMEI), MSc
Publicerad
2018
Författare
Hermansson, Linnéa
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
A Swedish shipping company, called the SSC in this thesis for the sake of anonymity, initiated the implementation process of a new information system in 2016. The new system would replace seven of the organizations’ old systems to increase efficiency and integration as well as simplify further digitalization of processes. The implementation was planned to be completed in 2017, but when this thesis was conducted the implementation had only reached two of the organizations’ twenty vessels. Significant resistance from employees and managers had halted the implementation and the project manager and top management had previously only focused on solving technical issues. This thesis thus aimed to analyze the SSC’s information system implementation with the intention of giving proposals for improvement through organizational viewpoints. The aim of the thesis was broken down into three research questions through an analysis that connected the current situation of the organization to literature on resistance towards information system implementations. The research questions handled national culture, organizational culture, and change management. They were answered through an iterative process, where the researcher went back and forth between literature and empirical data collection, to conclude suggestions for improvements that were suitable for the organization. Empirical data was collected through interviews with eighteen employees, as well as by triangulation through observations and by utilizing assessment instruments to validate the thesis. The analysis found several dimensions of national culture that could impact the implementation process negatively. These dimensions were connected to change management and information system implementation research to provide solutions to the negative impact. Furthermore, it was found that several subcultures were present within the company that could further hinder the implementation process. It was suggested that the organization should attempt to create a more uniform, flexible organizational culture and strategy to increase the organization’s readiness for change for future change projects. The result of the thesis provided the SCC with suggestions for improvement, however, some aspects that need further investigation were presented. The aspects included a further investigation of the external and internal environment of the organization, both present and future, to aid in the decision of a suitable company strategy and culture. Furthermore, it was suggested that an investigation of the vessels that has not yet initiated the implementation was necessary as the thesis only focused on the two vessels that had initiated the implementation process.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
Transport , Hållbar utveckling , Innovation och entreprenörskap (nyttiggörande) , Övrig industriell teknik och ekonomi , Transport , Sustainable Development , Innovation & Entrepreneurship , Other industrial engineering and economics