Different IT Projects, but the same Conflicts. Action Research During IT Deployment

Abstract

Information System (IS) research has overlooked user conflicts in teams among simultaneous or successive Information Technology (IT) projects, leaving a gap in comprehending the potential contagion processes leading to project failure. While IS literature has separately developed theories on conflicts and conflict contagion, we conceptualize a whole theoretic system we call "IT Conflict Contagion" (IT-CC). This theory is used as a driver for a 2-year action research project conducted at a French management consulting firm during the second attempt of its Business Intelligence (BI) tool baptized “PMT.” While most MIS methods tend to manage conflicts within the boundaries of an IT project, we emphasize the need for a comprehensive understanding of past IT implementations and their impact on subsequent projects despite the different aims, designs, and functionalities of these IT systems. This research calls for IS researchers and practitioners to adopt a holistic conflict management perspective, considering the IT portfolio and the interplay between various IT systems to ensure successful IT implementation.