Assessing readiness for business process reengineering

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose how to minimize the risks of implementing business process reengineering (BPR) by measuring readiness. For this purpose, the paper proposes an assessment approach for readiness in BPR efforts based on the critical success and failure factors. Design/methodology/approach -A relevant literature review, which investigates success and failure indicators in BPR efforts is carried out and a new categorized list of indicators are proposed. This is a base for conducting a survey to measure the BPR readiness, which has been run in two companies and compared based on a diamond model. Findings -In this research, readiness indicators are determined based on critical success and failure factors. The readiness indicators include six categories. The first five categories, egalitarian leadership, collaborative working environment, top management commitment, supportive management, and use of information technology are positive indicators. The sixth category, resistance to change has a negative role. This paper reports survey results indicating BPR readiness in two Iranian companies. After comparing the position of the two cases, the paper offers several guidelines for amplifying the success points and decreasing failure points and hence, increasing the rate of success. Originality/value -High-failure rate of BPR has been introduced as a main barrier in reengineering processes. In addition, it makes a fear, which in turn can be a failure factor. This paper tries to fill the gap in the literature on decreasing risk in BPR projects by introducing a BPR readiness assessment approach. In addition, the proposed questionnaire is generic and can be utilized in a facilitated manner.

Business Process Reengineering Implementation: Developing a Causal Model of Critical Success Factors

“…Previous research indicate that to be successful, BPR should focus on achieving the empowerment of people and the application of appropriate enabling technology [50]. [4], [5], [8], [36], [37], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45].…”

“…Top management should have adequate knowledge about BPR implementation and make important decisions in BPR implementation process. In addition top management should motivate employees and have a friendly interaction with BPR team [5], [37], [42]. The role of top management in creation of an organization climate that empowers employees is of crucial importance.…”

“…Culture has been recognized as a CSF for BPR implementation in the literature [5], [8], [37], [41], [42], [44]. Coordination, employees' involvement and friendly interactions are the standard feature of an innovative organizational culture.…”

“…Since the 1990s, organizations have paid special attention to "processes" [5], [6]. In the search to improve and speed up the organizational processes, different tools and techniques have been developed in two last decades [7].…”

“…Top management commitment and Support [4], [5], [8], [36], [37], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45], [46], [47].…”