Electronic document & records management system implementation : best practice change management

Abstract

As New Zealand government organisations have been required under the Public Records Act (2005)1 to put in place recordkeeping systems that preserve the continuation and integrity of the electronic record, users outside recordkeeping groups have been forced to take an active role in the creation and preservation of electronic records. Usually this is managed by the framework of an Electronic Document & Record Management System (EDRMS). This has raised concerns with change management as EDRMS implementation has not always met with user acceptance. This could lead to system failure and leave organisations required to comply with the Public Records Act (2005) open to legal liability. To date no research has been undertaken documenting the ways in which change has been managed successfully or unsuccessfully by New Zealand Government organisations implementing EDRMS. This study documents the way change has been managed and the outcomes through the case studies of three New Zealand government organisations that have undertaken an EDRMS implementation. Change management strategies are considered in relation to organisational culture and the technological frames that lie behind the reception to technological change.