Why Managers Don't Manage: An Interpretive Case Study of Information Systems Adoption Management

Although there is a large amount of research on adoption and benefits management, we know surprisingly little about how and why managers manage adoption of enterprise systems. By conducting an interpretive case study, we explore managers’ perceptions of adoption management. Through semi-structured interviews, we uncover that two levels of management expressed surprisingly little action to influence users’ adoption towards desired benefits once the application is live. The data analysis found a mental rationalisation pattern that justified the managers’ (lack of) adoption action. We identify these ostensive and performative structures as a project-centric mindset to highlight how the rigid boundaries of project completion are prioritised, thus challenging holistic adoption management.