P. Perner (Ed.): ICDM 2004, LNAI 3275, pp. 11–22, 2004. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004 Applying Case Based Reasoning Approach in Analyzing Organizational Change Management Data Orit Raphaeli 1 , Jacob Zahavi 2 , and Ron Kenett 3 1 Faculty of Management, Tel-Aviv University & KPA Ltd., Israel oritishi@inter.net.il 2 The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania zahavi@wharton.upenn.edu 3 KPA Ltd., Raanana, Israel ron@kpa.co.il Abstract. This work is a first step towards the application of a Case Based Rea- soning (CBR) model to support the management of Enterprise System Imple- mentation (ESI) related organizational change processes. Those processes are characterized by the occurrences of unplanned problems and events, which may lead to major restructuring of the process. We rely on ESI theory developed by the BEST project. The paper’s focus is the matching process within the retrieval phase. We propose a procedure for similarity assessment between current ex- periences and past experiences. We enhance the applicability of CBR to ESI by encoding domain knowledge, according to BEST approach. The similarity measures are based on nearest-neighbor approach and Tversky’s Contrast model. The proposed method assesses the similarity between events, while ac- counting their context similarity. Plans for future work are outlined. 1 Introduction Enterprise System (ES) are software packages that offer integrated solutions to com- panies’ information needs [1]. Enterprise Systems like ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Requirement Management), and PDM (Product Data Management) have gained great significance for most companies on an operational as well as a strategic level. An ES implementation (ESI) process, as other system devel- opment processes, is a complex and dynamic process that cannot be fixed from the start. The process is characterized by the occurrences of unplanned problems and events [2]. These situations may lead to major restructuring of the process with severe implications to the whole company. Given the growing significance and high risk of ESI projects, much research has been undertaken to develop better understanding of such processes, in various disci- plines. Yet, the literature on ESI, information technology and organizational change management do not give substantial and reliable generalizations about the process dy- namics and the relationships between information technology and organizational change.