Implementing CRM System in a Global Organization - National vs. Organizational Culture

This paper presents a longitudinal case study of a multi-national company’s Customer Relationship Management implementation in China, Poland, Russia, Middle East, Dubai, Pakistan, Iran, Korea and Japan. Although the cooperation has extensive experience in implementing systems in its different global subsidiaries, and has planned the implementation well, the implementation was not a complete success. The study has identified that the cultural factor are important, but not stressed enough in the current CRM literature. Understanding the difference between the organizational culture in which the system is developed and the national culture in which the system is implemented, as well as having a strategy for how to embrace and control/adjust to cultural values, is vital for a successful system implementation.