Champions in transition: the role of process orientation

Purpose – This study seeks to explore the role of process orientation (PO) in organizations that go through a transition in implementing enterprise systems (ESs). Design/methodology/approach – Based on an empirical survey of 3,000 large Canadian and US firms, this study investigates the role of PO in various aspects of ES implementation. Exploratory factor analysis is conducted using SPSS software to identify indicators and factors of measuring PO and various aspects of ES implementation. Furthermore, the LISREL software was used to perform the path analysis to identify the role of PO. Findings – The results of the analysis strongly suggest that the PO levels at three phases of ES implementation are independent and, hence, require separate measurement. In addition, two research models are employed to examine 14 hypotheses associated with the role of PO in ES implementation. The findings indicate that process‐oriented organizations in our sample are more successful in ES implementation and have faced fewer challenges in the transition process. Practical implications – This study unveils the role of PO in successful ES implementation. The champions of transition pay special attention to PO throughout the ES implementation. The findings reveal that under certain conditions PO can hinder or support the ES implementation in organizations. Originality/value – This is the first study that measures PO at three phases of ES implementation. Moreover, two research models are employed to study the research topic, namely: preliminary model, and expanded model. Measurement of PO at three stages of transition provides a unique perspective to evaluate the effect of PO in organizations.