Archetypes and the Logic of Management - How assumptions on ERP systems influence management actions

The journey with enterprise resource planning systems has taken us beyond implementation, into the second wave of ERP. Now, after running in some years, it is interesting how the ERP system is managed and what role it plays in the organization. These questions are addressed in this paper. Through seven case-studies we found similarities and differ- ences in the patterns of ERP management. The key charac- teristics, with respect to which ERP management differs, are associated with an archetypal interpretive scheme that we conceive as embodied organizational motivation and archi- tecture. The empirical analysis coalesced in our conception of three alternative archetypes - which we call the supporter, the driver and the co-player. These archetypes are illustrated with material from our case-studies. The archetypes are be- lieved to play an important role in conveying the essential differences of the ways in which organizations manage their ERP system.