A Conceptual Model for Studying the Influence of Charismatic Leadership on ERP Implementation Lifecycle

In the context of ERP implementation, leadership is consistently found to be the most important factor leading to implementation success. However, most of the studies focus on leader´s strength and authority while ignoring the important role leader´s personal charisma plays in the implementation process. In addition, there is a lack of study on the underlying process of how leadership acts during the lifecycle of ERP implementation. In this paper we first introduce charismatic leadership from five dimensions, and divide the ERP implementation lifecycle into three phases: first adoption, secondary adoption and assimilation. We then propose a conceptual model for studying the influence of the five dimensions on each phase of the ERP implementation and analyze which of the dimensions plays a greater role in each phase. We conclude the paper by providing some suggestions on future research directions.