Title:
SAP ERP TEAMS – THE COMMUNICATION BLIND SPOT – A PARADOX OR JUST A COUNTERINTUITIVE RESULT? EVIDENCE FROM PRACTITIONERS

Authors:
Aurélio HESS and Sampson Banflo NARTEH-YOE

Abstract:
This study investigates communication dynamics within SAP ERP implementation teams to examine The existence of a communication blind spot—a phenomenon where individuals remain unaware of their communication deficiencies and their resultant impact on team effectiveness and productivity. Grounded in the key assumption of systemic vulnerability—that a system’s overall performance is constrained by its weakest link—our research specifically assesses how communication barriers from the "hardest-to-understand" colleague can affect team results. Data were collected from 51 Brazilian SAP professionals using Dillman’s Total Design Method (TDM) questionnaire distributed via Google Forms. The instrument comprised 22 questions: 11 single-choice, 5 multiple-choice, 2 open-ended, and 4 ten-point Likert scale items. Respondents rated the communication of their peers as “hard to understand at work,” enabling analysis of descriptive statistics and Spearman correlations among variables, with comparative analysis via Fisher’s r-to-z transformation. The results corroborate the presence of a communication blind spot, suggesting that unrecognized communication deficiencies in individuals can compromise overall team performance and productivity in SAP ERP projects. Although it seems to be a paradox, it remains unclear and requires future research whether this The phenomenon can be treated as a paradox or is just strongly counterintuitive.

Keywords:
SAP ERP, paradox, communication, blind spot, productivity, counterintuitive

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37500/IJESSR.2025.8328

Date of Publication: 21-06-2025