Irene Vanderfeesten and Hajo A. Reijers
Current workflow management systems (WfMS's) are often too rigid and lead to “chain production” in the office. The paper proposes a number of “tuning measures” to reconfigure an…
Abstract
Purpose
Current workflow management systems (WfMS's) are often too rigid and lead to “chain production” in the office. The paper proposes a number of “tuning measures” to reconfigure an implemented WfMS in such a way that it is more agreeable to the needs of its users.
Design/methodology/approach
The “tuning measures” are generated through a creative process that is founded on two theoretical pillars: the job characteristics model, from the domain of job design theory and work psychology, and the assignment and synchronization policies, from the area of workflow management.
Findings
By combining theories from both job design theory and workflow management we have developed a number of measures to “tune” WfMS's in a human oriented way. An expert panel has selected the six most promising of these measures. These six measures have been used in the evaluation of three contemporary WfMS's. From this evaluation we concluded that current workflow technology is only partly able to support our measures.
Research limitations/implications
Because of the limited system evaluation, it would be valuable to do a more thorough evaluation of the three systems, have a closer study of the other generated ideas, and to broaden the scope of systems we considered. Additionally, it seems worthwhile to perform an actual validation in practice, i.e. an experiment with real workflow users in a realistic setting.
Originality/value
New in this paper is the focus on people working with WfMS's. The paper tries to go beyond the traditional borders of finding a good support for a business process. It highlights the importance of the human factor in the success of the implementation of a workflow system in a company and gives directions for concrete improvement in order to make working with a WfMS more enjoyable to its users. The proposals stated in the paper are of value to workflow designers, managers and workflow researchers.
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The presentation and validation of a checklist that can be used to determine an organization's process orientation prior to a business process management systems (BPMS…
Abstract
Purpose
The presentation and validation of a checklist that can be used to determine an organization's process orientation prior to a business process management systems (BPMS) implementation. Its aim is to help predict the success of BPMS implementation on the basis of the identified process awareness within an organization.
Design/methodology/approach
The checklist has been developed on the basis of relevant literature and augmented with practical experience from staff of one of the world's largest BPM system vendors. The study of three BPM System implementations at different client sites have been used to validate the checklist.
Findings
The study suggests that a lack of process orientation may be related to all kinds of problems that affect the speed and cost of a BPMS implementation. The checklist seems useful to predict those problems at sites where process orientation is insufficient.
Research limitations/implications
The number of cases used (3) is quite small. Furthermore, the retrospective assessment of the situation prior to BPM system implementation limits the reliability of the findings. Current results seem a good basis for further refinement and validation.
Practical implications
A very practical, easy to use instrument that can directly be applied by organizations that are expected to be involved in multiple BPM system implementations (e.g. large banks, consultancies, system integrators, etc.).
Originality/value
This paper presents an instrument that does not yet exist to measure a relation often hypothesized upon in existing research.
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Markus Kohlbacher and Hajo A. Reijers
Several organizations choose a process‐oriented organizational design as a source for competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically the relationship…
Abstract
Purpose
Several organizations choose a process‐oriented organizational design as a source for competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to explore empirically the relationship between process orientation (PO) and firm performance. The paper considers PO as a multidimensional construct and examines how its underlying dimensions impact different aspects of organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses an exploratory research design and investigates the effects of the different PO dimensions on profitability, customer satisfaction, product quality, and time‐based performance using a random sample of Austrian manufacturing firms.
Findings
The empirical findings reveal that process performance measurement, a process‐oriented organizational structure, the application of continuous process improvement methods, and – in particular – a culture in line with the process approach, are significantly and positively associated with organizational performance.
Originality/value
While a few studies examined the effects of PO on financial performance, there is a clear lack of quantitative studies investigating the effects of PO on other, non‐financial performance measures. In addition, since most of the existing studies treated PO as a single measure, there is a clear lack of studies that investigate the performance effects of individual PO dimensions. The paper incorporates the multidimensional nature of PO and examines the effects of individual PO dimensions on several firm performance aspects.
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Rafael Paim, Heitor Mansur Caulliraux and Rodolfo Cardoso
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to defining the tasks necessary to process management, considering both conceptual and practical views.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to contribute to defining the tasks necessary to process management, considering both conceptual and practical views.
Design/methodology/approach
Bibliographic review for tasks mentioned as typically necessary to process management, plus a field survey involving professionals working in process management.
Findings
The bibliographic review yielded a set of tasks that were grouped conceptually into “designing processes”, “managing processes from day to day” and “fostering process‐related learning”. These groups were then validated with practioners as valid constructs. The field survey produced two major findings: the first underlining the practical importance of the tasks identified as necessary to process management and the second demonstrating that most organizations where the study participants work are structured functionally, but have practices for managing cross‐functional processes or “end‐to‐end process”. The conceptual and practical comparison brings to light gaps between authors and professionals.
Research limitations/implications
There is significant variation in the job positions and sectors occupied by the group studied and the sample is not random, given that all are enrolled in postgraduate process management programs and thus share an interest in the subject.
Practical implications
Organizations can identify tasks that are necessary and important to process management and have an instrument (the questionnaire) for deciding how best to manage processes. Where functional management of cross‐functional processes is found, this recommends developing organizational solutions to upgrade the capacity for coordination among activities without necessarily introducing changes in organizational structure.
Originality/value
The paper describes an unprecedented study and helps clarify what needs to be done to manage processes.
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Sabra Munir, Siti Zaleha Abdul Rasid, Muhammad Aamir, Farrukh Jamil and Ishfaq Ahmed
This paper aims to assess the impact of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) on organizational innovation performance through process-oriented dynamic capabilities (PODC), as a…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to assess the impact of big data analytics capabilities (BDAC) on organizational innovation performance through process-oriented dynamic capabilities (PODC), as a mediator, as well as the moderating roles of organizational culture (OC) and management accountants, in this artificial intelligence (AI) era. This paper also aims to provide information on the emerging trends and implications of the abovementioned relationships by focusing on these relationships and interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study used the close-ended questionnaire approach based on the resource-based view and socio-materiality theories. This included sending questionnaires to top-level management, including Chief Financial Officer/Chief Executive Officers/Chief Information Officers (CFO/CEOs/CIOs), having an in-depth understanding of the concepts, practical applications and usage of big data as well as BDAC.181 valid questionnaire-based responses were analyzed using the partial least square structural equation modelling technique and bootstrapping moderated mediation method.
Findings
This study provides empirical insights into how BDAC impact innovative performance through PODC as well as the moderating effects of OC and management accountants. This involves a shift in focus from almost standardized approaches to developing BDAC without contextual focus on approaches that are much more heterogeneously related to each organization and hence are more focused on the context of the pharmaceutical industry.
Research limitations/implications
The main aim of key research questions in this study is to increase the contributions of BDAC toward improving innovation performance in the presence of the abovementioned variables and relationships that exist between them. The chosen research approach can be improved by carrying out interviews with the top management to obtain more relevant and detailed information for developing a better understanding of the abovementioned relationships.
Practical implications
This study outlines how organizations that are developing BDAC approaches can focus on relevant factors and variables to help their initiatives and its role in organizational innovative performance. This will also help them develop sustainable competitive advantage in manufacturing concerns, specifically in the health industry, namely, the pharmaceutical industry.
Originality/value
This study investigated the effects and implications of big data on organizations in the AI era that aim to achieve innovation performance. At the same time, it provides an original understanding of the contextual importance of investing in BDAC development. It also considers the role of management accountants as a bridge between data scientists and business managers in a big data environment, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. The current study used first-time data from surveys involving CFOs, CEOs or CIOs of pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan and analyzed the proposed model using bootstrapping moderated mediation analysis.