Intra- and inter-organizational effects of a CRM system implementation

Journal title MERCATI E COMPETITIVITÀ
Author/s Enrico Baraldi, Antonella La Rocca, Andrea Perna
Publishing Year 2013 Issue 2013/1 Language English
Pages 22 P. 13-34 File size 1559 KB
DOI 10.3280/MC2013-001003
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the intra- and inter-organizational effects of introducing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system in a firm. Today, CRM appears to be a "buzzword" in the academic literature and it can be analysed under different and sometimes divergent perspectives. We define CRM as a technical device interacting with people who input data and information inside an IT system to obtain processed information in order to handle customer relationships. Empirically, we explore the implementation of a CRM system in an Italian company. Our findings suggest that the installation of a CRM system is not a linear process because of the problems that surface when the technology is embedded within an organization. We identify two main issues users face in employing the CRM system: 1) loss of independence, 2) the feeling of being controlled, with an accompanying mistrust of data inputs from other users in the same host organization.

Keywords: CRM, business relationships, resource interaction, embedding, implementation, case study

  1. Ata Z. and Toker A. (2012). The effect of customer relationship management adoption in business-to-business markets. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 27, 6: 497-507.
  2. Baraldi E. (2002). Making Sense of IT in Business Network- A conceptual Framework on Resources and Information with Empirical Illustrations from IKEA and Edsbyn, Conference Proceedings, IMP Asia Conference, Perth, Australia. Testo disponibile al sito: http://www.impgroup.org.
  3. Baraldi E. (2003). When Information technologies faces resource interaction.Doctoral Thesis, Department of Business Studies, Uppsala: Uppsala University.
  4. Baraldi E. (2009). User-related complexity dimensions of complex products and systems (CoPS): a case of implementing an ERP system. International Journal of Innovation Management, 13, 1: 19-45. DOI: 10.1142/S1363919609002200
  5. Baraldi E. and Nadin G. (2006). The challenges in digitalizing business relationships. The construction of an IT infrastructure for a textile-related business network. Technovation, 26, 10: 1111-1126. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2005.09.016
  6. Baraldi E. and Waluszewski A. (2005). Information technology at IKEA: an “open sesame” solution or just another type of facility?. Journal of Business Research, 58, 9: 1251-1260. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.05.001
  7. Baraldi E. Gregori G.L. and Perna A. (2011). Network evolution and the embedding of complex technical solutions: The case of the Leaf House network. Industrial Marketing Management, 40, 6: 838-852. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2011.06.009
  8. Baraldi E., Gressetvold E. and Harrison D. (2012). Resource interaction in inter-organizational networks: Foundations, comparison, and a research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 65, 2: 266-276. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.05.030
  9. Berkley B.J. and Gupta A. (1994). Improving service quality with information technology. International Journal of Information Management, 14, 2: 109-121. DOI: 10.1016/0268-4012(94)90030-2
  10. Bose R. (2000). Customer relationship management; key components for IT success. Industrial Management and Data System, 102, 2: 89-97. DOI: 10.1108/02635570210419636
  11. Brady M., Saren M. and Tzokas N. (2002). Integrating Information Technology into marketing practice – The IT realize of contemporary marketing practice. Journal of Marketing Management, 18, 5-6: 555-577.
  12. Bull C. (2003). Strategic issues in customer relationship management (CRM) implementation. Business Process Management Journal, 9, 5: 592-602. DOI: 10.1108/14637150310496703
  13. Campbell A.J. (2001). Achieving Customer Knowledge Competence: Managing Customer Relationship Management Programs Strategically, Conference Proceedings, 17th IMP Conference, Oslo, Norway. Testo disponibile al sito: http://www.impgroup. Org
  14. Campbell A.J. (2003). Creating Customer Knowledge Competence: Managing Customer Relationship Programs Strategically. Industrial Marketing Management, 32, 5: 375-383. DOI: 10.1016/S0019-8501(03)00011-7
  15. Chang W., Park J.E. and Chaiy S. (2010). How does CRM technology transform into organizational performance? A mediating role of marketing capability. Journal of Business Research, 63, 8: 849-855. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.07.003
  16. Chen I.J. and Popovich K. (2003). Understanding customer relationship management (CRM): People, process and technology. Business Process Management Journal, 9, 5: 672-688. DOI: 10.1108/14637150310496758
  17. Daghfous A. and Barkhi R. (2009). The strategic management of information technology in UAE hotels: An exploratory study of TQM, SCM, and CRM implementations. Technovation, 29, 9: 588-595. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2009.05.007
  18. Dubois A. and Gibbert M. (2010). From Complexity to Transparency: Managing the Interplay between Theory, Method and Empirical Phenomena in IMM Case Studies. Industrial Marketing Management 39, 1: 129-136. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman2009.08.003
  19. Ford D. (1980). The Development of Buyer-Seller Relationships in Industrial Markets. European Journal of Marketing, 14, 5-6: 339-353
  20. Gefen D. and Ridings C. (2002). Implementation team responsiveness and user evaluation of Crm: a quasi experimental design study of social exchange theory. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19, 1: 71-98
  21. Glazer R. (1997). Strategy and structure in information intensive markets: the relationship between marketing and IT. Journal of Market Focused Management, 2, 1: 65- 81. DOI: 10.1023/A:1009793717081
  22. Gummesson E. (1991). Marketing-orientation revisited: the crucial role of the parttime marketer. European Journal of Marketing, 25, 2: 60-75. DOI: 10.1108/03090569110139166
  23. Hasan M. (2003). Ensure success of CRM with a change in mindset, Marketing Management, 37, 8:16
  24. Hedman J. and Kalling T. (2002). IT and business models. Concepts and theories. Malmo: Liber
  25. Håkansson H. (1982). International Marketing and Purchasing of Industrial Goods. Chichester: Wiley
  26. Håkansson H. (1987). Industrial Technology Development. A Network Approach. London: Croom Helm
  27. Håkansson H. and Snehota I. (1995). Developing Relationships in Business Networks. London: Routledge
  28. Håkansson H. and Waluszewski A. (2002). Managing Technological Development. IKEA, the environment and technology. London: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780203217535
  29. Håkansson H. and Waluszewski A. (2007). Knowledge and Innovation in Business and Industry. The importance of using others. New York: Routledge.
  30. Homburg C., Workman Jr. J.P. and Jensen O. (2000). Fundamental changes in marketing organization: the movement toward a customer-focused organizational structure. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28, 4: 459-78. DOI: 10.1177/0092070300284001
  31. Ingemansson M. (2010). Success as Science but Burden for Business? – On the Difficult Relationship Between Scientific Advancement and innovation. Doctoral Thesis, Department of Business Studies, Uppsala: Uppsala University
  32. Jayachandran S., Sharma S., Kaufman P. and Raman P. (2005). The Role of Relational Information Processes and Technology Use in Customer Relationship Management. Journal of Marketing, 69, October: 177-192. DOI: 10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.177
  33. Lambert D.M. (2009). Customer relationship management as a business process. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 25, 1: 4-17. DOI: 10.1108/08858621011009119
  34. Landry T.D., Todd J.A. and Arndt A. (2005). A compendium of sales-related literature in customer relationship management: processes and technologies with managerial implications. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 25, 3: 231-251
  35. La Rocca A. and Snehota I. (2012). Sales outside-in and inside-out. Conference Proceedings, IMP Conference, Rome, Italy. Testo disponibile al sito: http://www.impgroup. Org
  36. Leonard-Barton D. (1988). Implementation as mutual adaptation of technology and organization. Research Policy, 17, 5: 251-267. DOI: 10.1016/0048-7333(88)90006-6
  37. Levin M. and Greenwood D. (2001). Pragmatic action research and the struggle to transform universities into learning communities. In: Reason P. and Bradbury H., (eds). Handbook of Action Research: Participative inquiry and practice, London: Sage, 103-113.
  38. Li L. and Mao J-Y. (2012) The effect of CRM use on internal sales management control: An alternative mechanism to realize CRM benefits. Information & Management, 49, 6: 269-277. DOI: 10.1016/j.im.2012.09.005
  39. Lindgreen A., Palmer R., Vanhamme J. and Wouters J. (2006). A relationship-management assessment tool: Questioning, identifying, and prioritizing critical aspects of customer relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 35, 1: 57-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2005.08.008
  40. Mithas S., Krishnan M.S. and Fornell C. (2005). Why Do Customer Relationship Management Applications Affect Customer Satisfaction?. Journal of Marketing, 69, October: 201-209. DOI: 10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.201
  41. O’Mahony S. and Barley S. R. (1999). Do Digital Communications Affect Work and Organization? The State of Our Knowledge. Research in Organizational Behavior, 21: 125-161
  42. Orlikowski W.J., Walsham G., Jones M.R. and De Gross J.I. (1995). Information Technology and Changes in Organizational Work. Conference Proceedings, IFIP WG8.2, Cambridge, England. Testo disponibile al sito: http://www.ifipwg82.org
  43. Papastathopoulou P., Avlonitis G. and Panagopoulos N.G. (2007). Intraorganizational Information and Communication Technology Diffusion: Implications for Industrial Sellers and Buyers. Industrial Marketing Management, 36, 3: 322-326. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2005.10.002
  44. Payne A. and Frow P. (2005). A Strategic Framework for Customer Relationship Management. Journal of Marketing, 69, October: 167-176. DOI: 10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.167
  45. Peltier J.W., Schibrowsky J.A. and Zhao Y. (2009). Understanding the Antecedents to the Adoption of CRM technology by Small Retailers: Entrepreneurs vs Owner-managers. International Small Business Journal, 27, 3: 307-332. DOI: 10.1177/0266242609102276
  46. Penrose E. (1959). The Theory of the Growth of the Firm. New York: Oxford University Press, Reprint 1995
  47. Reinartz W., Krafft M. and Hoyer W. (2004). The customer relationship management process: its measurement and impact on performance. Journal of Marketing Research, 41, 3: 293-313. DOI: 10.1509/jmkr.41.3.293.35991
  48. Rigby D.K. Reichfeld F.F. and Scheffer P. (2002). Avoid the four perils of CRM. Harvard Business Review, 80, 2: 101-109
  49. Ryals L. (2005). Making Customer Relationship Management Work: The Measurement and Profitable Management of Customer Relationship. Journal of Marketing, 69, October: 252-261. DOI: 10.1509/jmkg.2005.69.4.252
  50. Salojärvi H., Sainio L-M. and Tarkiainen A. (2010). Organizational factors enhancing customer knowledge utilization in the management of key account relationships. Industrial Marketing Management, 39, 8: 1395-1402. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2010.04.005
  51. Shoemaker M.E. (2001). A Framework for Examining IT-Enabled Market Relationships. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, 2, 2: 177-185.
  52. Tidd J. Bessant J. and Pavitt K. (2001). Managing Innovation, Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. Chichester: Wiley, 2nd Edition
  53. Verhoef P. and Donkers B. (2001). Predicting customers potential value: an application in the insurance industry. Decision Support Systems, 32, 2: 189-199. DOI: 10.1016/S0167-9236(01)00110-5
  54. Xu Y., Yen D., Lin B. and Chou D. (2002). Adopting customer relationship management technology. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 102, 8: 442-52. DOI: 10.1108/02635570210445871
  55. Yin R.K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2nd Edition
  56. Zablah A., Bellenger D. and Johnston W. (2004). An evaluation of divergent perspectives on customer relationship management: towards a common understanding of an emerging phenomenon. Industrial Marketing Management, 33, 6: 475-489. DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2004.01.006

Enrico Baraldi, Antonella La Rocca, Andrea Perna, Intra- and inter-organizational effects of a CRM system implementation in "MERCATI E COMPETITIVITÀ" 1/2013, pp 13-34, DOI: 10.3280/MC2013-001003