Management accounting system (MAS) change: field evidence

Abstract

This paper critically discusses one of the prescriptions of traditional control literature according to which the management accounting system (MAS) should be adaptive to changes in the organizational and strategic context. Drawing from contingency and institutional theories, the paper drafts a framework to pragmatically identify key phases and features of the management accounting change process to highlight its organizational nature. Using this framework, the paper documents four longitudinal case studies of the design and the implementation of management accounting changes. The field studies show how accounting systems are difficult to change despite the formally acknowledged need for change. Findings highlight that the need for change, the technical feasibility of change, the availability of traditional, and the contemporary methodologies are – alone – insufficient reasons to change. A number of other elements interplay in the process of change, namely, the intended MAS use, the stage of the organization life cycle, the potential impact of change on the organization, and the role of key individuals in linking the phases of the change process.