¹Department of Information Systems, Agder University College, PO Box 422, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway

Correspondence: Stig Nordheim, Agder University College, Dept. of Information Systems, PO Box 422, 4604 Kristiansand, Norway. Tel: +47 3814 1610; Fax: +47 3814 1662; E-mail: Stig.Nordheim@hia.no, Tero.Paivarinta@hia.no

Received 28 February 2005; Revised 31 October 2005; Accepted 2 October 2006.

Abstract

This study examines a strategic development and implementation process of enterprise content management (ECM) in a large oil company. In view of the framework of four motors of development and change in organizations, this study represents a revelatory case of a hybrid development approach to ECM that involves the teleological, life-cycle, and dialectical motors of development. This is in contrast to the evolutionary development motor, which has prevailed in the hitherto reported content management research. The case study also complements process-based research on enterprise system implementations in general. We suggest that research and practice on large-scale ECM implementations should acknowledge all the four motors of change.