Resolving System-Organizational Misfits: Literature Review and a Framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7250/csimq.2025-45.06Keywords:
ERP Misfits, Fit-Gap Analysis, System-Organization Gap, Misfit Resolution StrategyAbstract
Despite the increasing adoption of off-the-shelf ERP systems and the accumulation of industry experience, implementation failure rates remain high. One of the key causes is the persistent misalignment between standardized ERP processes and the specific processes of adopting organizations, which are commonly referred to as system-organizational gaps or misfits. While numerous studies acknowledge these misfits, only a few offer clear classifications of misfits and structured resolution frameworks. This article presents a systematic literature review of peer-reviewed academic studies from 2005 to 2025, aimed at identifying and synthesizing strategies for resolving ERP-related misfits. Given the methodological diversity of these sources, a mixed-method synthesis was employed: tabular analysis summarized key study features, while thematic synthesis uncovered recurring patterns in resolution strategies. The review identifies a wide variety of misfit types and corresponding resolution strategies. While conceptually rich, the literature lacks empirical comparisons of strategy effectiveness and remains fragmented across industries and phases of the ERP lifecycle. These gaps underline the need for future research to bridge theoretical insight with actionable, cross-contextual resolution models. The article concludes with recommendations for future research aimed at bridging the gap between conceptual understanding and practical application.
References
A. Elragal and M. Haddara, “The Impact of ERP Partnership Formation Regulations on the Failure of ERP Implementations,” Procedia Technology, vol. 9, pp. 527–535, 2013. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protcy.2013.12.059 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.protcy.2013.12.059
M. Chadhar and F. Daneshgar, “Organizational learning and ERP post-implementation phase: A situated learning perspective,” Journal of Information Technology Theory and Application, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 138–156, 2018.
T. Brugger, “ERP software implementation – definition and key components of the implementation success,” IADIS International Conference on Applied Management Advances in the 21st Century 2020, pp. 102–106, 2020. Available: https://doi.org/10.33965/ama2020_202003C017 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33965/ama2020_202003C017
G. H. W. Liu, E. T. G. Wang, and J. C. F. Tai, “ERP misfit: A multidimensional concept and misfit resolution,” PACIS 2011 Proceedings, article 118, 2011.
P.-F. Hsu, “One Size Fits All? How Does Firm Heterogeneity Affect ERP Adaptation and Firm Performance?” Open Journal of Business and Management, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 2597–2622, 2020. Available: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2020.86161 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2020.86161
D. Morquin, R. Ologeanu-Taddei, G. Pare, and G. Wagner, “A method for resolving organisation-enterprise system misfits: An action research study in a pluralistic organization,” Information Systems Journal, vol. 33, no. 5, pp. 995–1028, 2023. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12433 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12433
C. Soh, S. S. Kien, and J. Tay-Yap, “Enterprise resource planning: cultural fits and misfits: is ERP a universal solution?” Communications of the ACM, vol. 43, no. 4, pp. 47–51, 2000. Available: https://doi.org/10.1145/332051.332070 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/332051.332070
E. Hustad and B. Kalvenes, “ERP and Organizational Misfits: An ERP Customization Journey,” Procedia Computer Science, vol. 100, pp. 429–439, 2016. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.179 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2016.09.179
T. Winkler, S. Krogh, U. Plesner, L. Justesen, T. B. Jensen, “A Real ‘Killer’ Application? Organization-System Misfits of the Danish Health Platform,” Proceedings of the 41st International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), 2020.
D. Strong and O. Volkoff, “Understanding Organization-Enterprise System Fit: A Path to Theorizing the Information Technology Artifact,” MIS Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 731–756, 2010. Available: https://doi.org/10.2307/25750703 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/25750703
M. A. G. van Offenbeek, J. F. J. Vos, B. van den Hooff, and A. Boonstra, “When workarounds aggravate misfits in the use of electronic health record systems,” Information Systems Journal, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 293–326, 2023. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12478 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12478
T. S. Yen, R. Idrus, and U. K. Yusof, “A Framework for classifying misfits between enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and business strategies,” Asian Academy of Management Journal, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 53–75, 2011.
I. Lahlou, N. Motaki, D. Sarsri, and H. L’Yarfi, “Fit-Gap Analysis: Pre-Fit-Gap Analysis Recommendations and Decision Support Model,” International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, vol. 13, no7, 2022. Available: https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2022.0130749 DOI: https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2022.0130749
M. I. Wijaya, Suzanna, D. Utomo, “Enterprise Resource Planning Modification: A Literature Review,” ComTech: Computer, Mathematics and Engineering Applications, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 33–43. Available: https://doi.org/10.21512/comtech.v12i1.6610 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21512/comtech.v12i1.6610
A. Jegorova, “Resolving system-organisational misfits: development and assessment of a misfit resolution framework for off the-shelf ERP systems,” Joint Proceedings of the BIR 2025 Workshops and Doctoral Consortium, co-located with 24th International Conference on Perspectives in Business Informatics Research (BIR 2025), vol. 4034, pp. 61–69, 2025. Available: https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-4034/paper96short.pdf
M. J. Page et al., “The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews,” BMJ, 2021. Available: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
S. K. Sia and C. Soh, “An assessment of package–organisation misalignment: institutional and ontological structures,” European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 16, no. 5, pp. 568–583, 2007. Available: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000700 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000700
J. Grabis, “Optimization of Gaps Resolution Strategy in Implementation of ERP Systems,” Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, vol. 1, pp. 84–92, 2019. Available: https://doi.org/10.5220/0007710000840092 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5220/0007710000840092
S. Gregor, “The Nature of Theory in Information Systems,” MIS Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 611–642, 2006. Available: https://doi.org/10.2307/25148742 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/25148742
M. B. Miles and A. M. Huberman, Qualitative Data Analysis. Sage Publications, 1994.
J. vom Brocke, A. Simons, B. Niehaves, K. Riemer, R. Plattfaut, and A. Cleven, “Reconstructing the Giant: On the Importance of Rigour in Documenting the Literature Search Process,” in ECIS 2009 Proceedings, article 161, 2009. Available: https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2009/161
F. Wahid and P. Setyono, “Dealing with the misfits in and ERP implementation: experiences from a university context in Indonesia,” Seminar Nasional Aplikasi Teknologi Informasi 2010 (SNATI 2010), pp. D13–D20, 2010.
T. Shiang-Yen, W. W. Peng, and R. Idrus, “ERP Misfit-Reduction Strategies: A Moderated Model of System Modification and Organizational Adaptation,” Developing Business Strategies and Identifying Risk Factors in Modern Organization, pp. 109–141, 2014. Available: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4860-9.ch008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-4860-9.ch008
J. A. A. van Beijsterveld, and W. J. H. van Groenendaal, “Solving misfits in ERP implementations by SMEs,” Information Systems Journal, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 369–393, 2016. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12090 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12090
J. Malaurent and S. Karanasios, “Learning from Workaround Practices: The Challenge of Enterprise System Implementations in Multinational Corporations, Information Systems Journal, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 639–663, 2019. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12272 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/isj.12272
G. Paré, M.-C. Trudel, M. Jaana, and S. Kitsiou, “Synthesizing information systems knowledge: A typology of literature reviews,” Information & Management, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 183–199, 2015. Available: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.08.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.08.008
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Anna Jegorova, Janis Grabis (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
