Emerald | Business Process Management Journal

A challenging success: a process audit perspective on change

Alison Parkes, Michael Davern — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how success emerges in a business process change initiative, given the often conflicting forces and challenges present in a workflow implementation. A detailed reflective analysis provides an opportunity to explore how different process enablers interact to achieve non-obvious outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection entailed semi-structured interviews, observation of project activities, and analysis of project documentation for a workflow project at a public sector organisation (AustGov). Data collection occurred from project initiation to implementation and is analysed utilizing the process enterprise maturity model. Findings – Despite encountering numerous issues, the process workflow went live as planned; the project was a success. The case demonstrates how project drivers interact in context to provide a coherent explanation of project outcomes. That the project did not fail, despite encountering obstacles and challenges, is attributed to the maturity of critical process enablers within the portfolio. Research limitations/implications – The AustGov case study provides an exemplar of how and why interrelationships between process enablers and project context matter. The case analysis provides a rich study of a workflow project, and demonstrates the suitability of the process audit framework to explain outcomes of business process change projects. Practical implications – The findings demonstrate the importance of managing interdependencies and competing priorities between process enablers to successfully implement business process change. Originality/value – The case provides a rich example of the implementation of business process change using workflow software. The authors find that achieving successful outcomes in a challenging environment is best understood when viewed from the perspective of the maturity of a portfolio of project enablers; also, that attention needs to be paid to developing advanced maturity in those enablers most closely related to the specific challenges evident in the project context.

Consumer's expectations from mobile CRM services: a banking context

Purnima S. Sangle, Preety Awasthi — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of the primary concerns of a customer when they use mobile banking services and identify factors that can be used for making better mobile customer relationship management (mobile CRM) services in banking. Design/methodology/approach – The paper empirically explores the underlying factors by the application of exploratory factor analysis. The study sample consists of 272 respondents, with a usable response rate of 68 per cent. Findings – The empirical findings reveal that perceived utility value is regarded as the most important factor for mobile CRM services. The other factors which emerged were ease of use, context, compatibility, cost, risk, and personal innovativeness. In addition, negative attitude towards technology also emerged as a factor, which needs further investigation. Research limitations/implications – The study had a few limitations, such as selection of the sample from a limited number of places, which may induct some bias due a particular geographical and economic advantage of the place. Practical implications – Based on the findings, banks should focus on increasing the value perceptions of the customers by considering easy design of the services, service context and compatibility of the services offered. The service cost reduction and risk mitigation strategies also need attention. Originality/value – The findings provided insight into the factors that contribute to the acceptance of mobile CRM practices in banking from the consumers' perspective. This study demonstrated that in the case of mobile CRM the factors related to the service aspect dominate over the technical aspect.

Examining ERP implementation success from a project environment perspective

Shahin Dezdar, Sulaiman Ainin — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify factors that are crucial for the successful implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Although there are many factors that influence the success, this study focuses on factors related to the ERP project environment, namely, project management, team composition and competence, and business process reengineering. Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire distributed to ERP users in Iranian organizations. In total, 384 responses were collected and analyzed. Findings – A significant relationship was found between project management and team composition with ERP implementation success. The better the project management activities the more likely the implementation will be successful. Likewise, the possibility of successful implementation is higher when the ERP team is more coordinated and experienced. Practical implications – ERP adopting organizations and managers could gain an understanding of the complexities inherent in ERP installations to avoid barriers and increase the likelihood of achieving desired results. The outcomes of this study are also useful to ERP vendors and consultants to prepare some strategies to overcome the misfit between their ERP products and ERP adopting organizations in developing countries. Originality/value – This study is one of the few that examine the success of ERP implementation from the perspective of key stakeholders (operational/unit/functional managers). It has contributed to academic research by producing empirical evidence to support the theories of critical success factors and ERP implementation success. The findings may be useful to ERP vendors and other organizations in other countries, as they could be used as a guideline for future ERP adoption and implementation.

Supply chain management, knowledge management capability, and their linkages towards firm performance

Wai Peng Wong, Kuan Yew Wong — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how supply chain management (SCM) practices and knowledge management (KM) capabilities affect firm performance. This study was conducted in the Asia Pacific region, which had not been examined before. Design/methodology/approach – A three-phase statistical analysis which comprised phase one (convergent validity, reliability, and discriminant validity), phase two (mediated regression analysis) and phase three (path analysis) was used to analyze the data. Findings – The results from this paper have shown that the implementation of SCM practices will interact with KM capabilities to influence firm performance. Research limitations/implications – The proposed model does not consider firm performance from multiple perspectives. In addition, the use of longitudinal data would be more useful to examine how changes in certain variables affect performance. Practical implications – These findings provide important insights for managers to understand the disposition of the firm to better leverage internal capability (knowledge), by exploiting relationships with supply chain partners. Social implications – This paper has extended knowledge in the mainstream management and provides valuable clues on how to improve organizational effectiveness, which is the crux of management. Originality/value – The paper is among the first empirical works that specifically investigate the relationships between KM and SCM; thus this paper fills an important gap in the supply chain literature.

The business drivers behind ECM initiatives: a process perspective

Jan vom Brocke, Alexander Simons, Andrea Herbst, René Derungs, Stefan Novotny — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify organizational challenges that drive enterprise content management (ECM) adoption from a process point of view. Design/methodology/approach – The presented results are grounded in both the academic literature on ECM and qualitative data from two case studies. Findings – The study identifies and discusses 21 contemporary business challenges that drive ECM adoption along the content lifecycle (e.g. regarding the creation, storage, and retrieval of content). Research limitations/implications – As the scopes of both the literature review and the case studies were limited, the presented account of ECM drivers is not considered exhaustive. The paper can, nevertheless, help researchers to further theorize about ECM adoption and investigate the role that content plays in business process management. Practical implications – Practitioners are provided with empirically grounded knowledge on the drivers behind ECM adoption. They can, for example, use the results to justify and evaluate ECM investments, or determine the scopes and objectives of their ECM initiatives. Originality/value – This study is important because the understanding is still vague as to what organizations strive to gain through implementing ECM and what results they can expect from the same.

Performance of organisations treating lean as an ideology

Sanjay Bhasin — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – British empirical research suggests culture and change have contributed to every lean failure. Whilst prevailing research implies that successful lean implementations lead to a profitable organisation, it focuses upon the low numbers of successful lean conversions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of a suitable change strategy resulting in the likelihood of a triumphant lean implementation. Design/methodology/approach – Predominantly, results from 68 survey questionnaires and seven case studies consisting of both questionnaires and interview schedules were utilised. Subsequently, extensive lean audits were carried out in 20 companies as a comprehensive validating exercise. Findings – The significance of change was evident; a high correlation was found within the audits with successful organizations, suggesting that a triumphant implementation requires a systematic and controlled change strategy. Research limitations/implications – Whilst lean failures are attributable to different causes, the fundamental issues of corporate culture and change are evident. Every company needs to find its own way to implement lean and it should be viewed as a never-ending journey. Practical implications – The implementation of lean cannot be taken nonchalantly, owing to the investment in terms of time and money. Consequently, if an organization pursues the change strategy suggested, the probability of success implementation is improved. Originality/value – This research, undertaken in British manufacturing organisations, focused on a bespoke change strategy for lean, as there exists a plethora of research focusing at the generic change process.

Process performance indicators in redesigning the patient care process

Elena Gospodarevskaya, Leonid Churilov — 2011-11-08 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the regulator's attempt at redesigning the patient care process (PCP) – a core business process in public hospitals – by introducing dichotomous process performance indicators as an innovative management tool intended to align the State health care policy with the everyday management of operations at a hospital ward. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an ethnographic case study of redesigning the PCP according to the strategy originating outside the organization. The study employs competing theories that represent alternative epistemological and ontological views of the world in order to produce a tentative explanation of why the intended redesign of the PCP has not fully eventuated. Observational data and opportunistic interviewing are used to answer the research question of whether and how the information and operational flows on the ward were affected by introduction of process performance indicators. A business process redesign framework was employed for data analysis since it better reflects the objectives of the State-wide initiative and offers a convenient tool in dealing with data complexity. Findings – Introduction of the process performance indicators did not result in redesigning of the PCP as intended by health care authorities. Out of four process performance indicators, only one was consistently implemented, which merely produced a duplication of the previously collected information, therefore adding no value to the PCP. On a theoretical level, the results indicate that the emergent theory rather than the rational agent theory demonstrated a greater fidelity to the empirical observations. Originality/value – The paper assessed the feasibility of using innovative dichotomous process performance indicators as a tool for redesigning the business process at the ward level, in order to achieve macro-level policy objectives. The failure to successfully implement a top-down universal approach to redesigning business processes in health care is likely to reflect a lack of appreciation of emergent rationality that characterizes essential aspects of the PCP.