Epistemology and Theory of Knowledge

Epistemology and Theory of Knowledge of the Study of Role-Based ERP Systems

The epistemology of systems and their use to sustain, strengthen and streamline business processes continues to be a major area of IT investment for companies globally. Of all areas of investment, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has continued to dominate this sector due to its anticipated benefits to reducing costs and sharpening the focus of strategies as well. The epistemology of enterprise systems is a posteriori in nature, as the quantification of strategies and their longitudinal effects on an organization often serve as the foundation of knowledge. The mastery of these systems and the learning associated with them are a posteriori also from the correlation of investments to results attained.

Analysis of Epistemology for Enterprise Systems

Implicit in any investment in technologies and systems to make a given process more efficient is the need for combining a priori and a posteriori knowledge. Organizations create taxonomies of knowledge that reflect their priorities and direction, goals and perception of opportunities. This a priori knowledge is the foundation on which process-based measures of performance are based on. A priori knowledge, being tacit by nature, often requires an epistemological framework to remain relevant to the long-term strategies of companies. The study completed of roles-based ERP systems is a progression of a priori knowledge from a constructivism framework. The roles of contributors within an organizations have significantly changed over the last fifty years, which requires the definition of a priori not just from the functional structure of organizations but also from a constructivist perspective as well. Enterprise systems in the past were primarily a priori based in approach, structure, taxonomy and use. As a result, the organizational mindset this approach created an epistemology that was more a priori in scope and depth of analysis. The reliance on systems and their knowledge was much more focused on analyzing the past as opposed to anticipating, predicting or modifying the future along controllable parameters. From an epistemological perspective the focus on reporting and analysis, control and management that were the initial design goals of these systems led to an overly-reliant mindset on historical data. As a result, a posteriori knowledge was deficient in the first decades of these systems being used.

The need for explaining and analyzing the epistemological structure of these systems' transitions from being entirely a priori centric to seeking to integrate a posteriori intelligence and knowledge changed the theory of how enterprise systems contribute to knowledge management and creation. The concepts of a posteriori analysis, more reliance on constructivist approaches to analyzing the performance of enterprise systems served as a catalyst for increased use of analytics, metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs). Paradoxically as constructivism became more prevalent as a means to explain the value of information systems and their associated technologies, a priori analysis also became more granular, quantified and measured. The combining of constructivist approaches to defining the knowledge generated by enterprise systems in conjunction with a posteriori approach to knowledge creation also led to the development of predictive modeling and predictive analytics techniques as defined in the dissertation as well. What emerges from an epistemological analysis of the enterprise systems performance and its accompanying contributions to organizations is more of an ecosystem than a straight-line process. The definition and continual refinement of this knowledge ecosystem is based on analysis a priori that is functional in scope. The needs of organizations drive the development of a posteriori knowledge creation, and constructivist approaches to analysis put the knowledge into the context of roles within organizations. The ecosystem has as its foundation constructivism as the perception of the need and the direction of the knowledge capture and analysis has brought together both a priori and a posteriori forms of knowledge creation. The role-based approach to knowledge capture, analysis and use continues to redefine the epistemological structure of enterprise systems and knowledge creation ecosystems.