Personal, technological, social and political issues have triggered resistance to information systems within public administration. Thus, this research investigates the implementation of a payroll system in the public administration using a multiple case study. The study investigates the type of reaction the civil servants have to the system within their organizational realm, as well as whether or not the system was accepted by them. The article addresses two case studies, namely one at the executive level of a Brazilian state (case A) and the other at the justice department of another Brazilian state (case B). Both states contracted the development of the same payroll system, whereby enabling comparison between these two endeavors. While in case A the system was about to be fully implemented after overcoming several hurdles, in case B the system implementation was halted as it was not accepted by the organization where it was to be implemented. The research uses a theoretical frame that binds resistance factors accrued from persons, the system, as well as from the socio-political interaction between the system users and the organizational environment. The article identified distinct types of resistance behaviors, the interrelationship among them and their transformation throughout the implementation of the system, which led to contrasting final outcomes for each case.
Information technology; Information systems; Resistance; Power; Public administration
