The Implementation of New Technologies Through a Participative Approach

Implementation projects of information systems, particularly in the logistics field, are usually long, complex processes requiring a good deal of resources. As an alternative to an exclusively technical viewpoint, the contribution by the users themselves to the design and implementation of these information systems may facilitate better final results. With this participative approach in mind, this paper proposes a methodology for implementing information and communication technologies (ICTs) that includes the recommendations put forward in the literature, which also involves the authors of the paper themselves as agents for change in companies, in line with the ‘action research’ approach. In order to illustrate the potential of this methodology, which may be of interest to the academic and professional world, analysis is made of the successful cases of two Spanish companies in the food sector that have recently applied this methodology in ICT implementation.