The Evolution of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems as an IT Innovation: A Performative Perspective

Abstract

How can we improve theorizing on IT innovation? We first draw on theories from IS research and science and technology studies (STS) to explain IT innovation. By showing how limited these research streams can be because they have not accounted for the act of theorizing itself, we next turn to the theory of performativity as a candidate theory to extend our understanding of IT innovation. We use an exemplar of IT innovation, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, to develop a performative perspective of the IT innovation process. Based on our preliminary data collection and analysis, we surfaced the role of academics in shaping and driving IT innovation. We show how academics in their efforts to understand IT innovation, have in turned shaped the object of inquiry itself. We conclude this paper with our preliminary findings to illustrate the potential value of performativity to improve theorizing on IT innovation.