EEMCS

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Abstract

Coordination aspects are key elements to manage inter-organisational systems, as inadequate coordination causes costly problems in the implementation of these systems. Existing research focuses on business networks, but pays little attention to systems composed of non-business organisations. Such organisations are often driven by intangible benefits that are difficult to measure. In this complex context, it is still unclear how to detect obstacles at early stages and how to plan collaboration among peers. This paper reports on a case study that analysed e-customs, a large distributed system that connects the customs organisations of a number of member states of the European Union. The paper summarises key issues detected in this inter-organisational system by analysing data from the e-customs project. The study revealed differences in working styles, up-front obstacles, and opportunities for collaboration. The results indicate two ways to facilitate coordination: starting with small projects, and encouraging collaboration in small groups. We validate our results by showing them to an expert in e-customs who confirmed our findings.

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