Enhancing functionality in an enterprise software package

Although enterprise resource planning (ERP) packages strive to integrate al l the major processes of a firm, customers typically discover that some ess ential functionality is lacking. To address this issue and to complement th eir capabilities, both ERP vendors and customers increasingly recognize the importance of collaboration. Using a grounded theory approach, this study' s objective is to derive a theoretical understanding of how customers colla borated on enhancements to an ERP module. The main contribution is, therefo re, a theoretical model that relates the two processes - selection of parti cipants, and interorganizational collaboration - to share knowledge of a su bsystem's best practices. Important findings are that 'swift trust' from th e occupational community, conflict resolution, reciprocity, and informal ne tworks impact functionality enhancement, The implication from these finding s is that a deeper understanding of the functionality enhancement process b enefits not only team members, but also ERP customers and collaborators ove rall. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.