Introduction
Business process re-engineering (BPR) also known as business process management (BPM) simply refers to the formal design of a workflow and the specific business processes performed to achieve a targeted business outcome. Moreover, it is important to note that BPR is an essential basis for many managerial development within and organization.
Contrary, despite the tremendous positive growth in the BPR concept, not all organizations globally embrace the idea of BPR projects. However, BPR when properly implemented is capable of providing quality customer satisfaction. In order to achieve BPR projects success, there is need to have an effective mode of communication and leadership personnel within the organization.
Discussion
It is the mandate of leaders to come up and select the most effective strategies to be used within the organization whenever implementing the BPR projects. It is clear according to Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) that despite the great success of BPR, not all organization internationally do fully implement the concept. Notable to mention is that, an effective leadership within an organization is important whenever BPR project is being implemented.
Proper and strategic leadership is the core factor that can either contribute to the success or failure of the BPR process within the organization. The major reason for any unsuccessful BPR project implementation is poor management that will discourage group support system (GSS). As Olivera (2000, p. 43) discussed, the truth is that, GSS empowers staffs to actively participate wholeheartedly toward the success of BPR.
GSS similarly as Olivera (2000, p. 43) explained empowers people to openly discuss and communicate their fear and anxiety achieving the third level if BPR-IT integration. Staffs motivation following Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) statement, should be part of the creative strategy good leadership can employ whenever facilitating re-engineering efforts.
Such motivation can either be through reward programmes or offering new job titles to staffs. Such strategic move creates a sense of encouragement among employees when implementing the BPR projects. Proper leadership as Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) discussed, will also ensure that the reward programme is equally and fairly awarded to promote harmony and encouragement among employees.
Additionally, empowering both individuals and teams is one of the strategies an effective leadership needs to employ to achieve a successful BPR implementation. Such empowerment develops and establishes a culture, which allows all the staffs at all levels to be free, responsible and focused towards the success of the process.
Based on Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) work, this moulds employee’s perception to become accountable, collaborative and also promotes the spirit of self-management within the organization. Whenever staffs feel empowered, they feel free to set their targeted goals and also to assess their own personal performance.
Employees are also able to identify personal areas of weakness. They are also able to come up with best solution that will help solve such problems at personal level especially if it is affecting their performances at work place. All this are efforts that tend to support the BPR efforts facilitated through good leadership. Notable to mention is that, proper leadership that openly and actively involves all people in the organization is very vital especially when re-engineering the BPR project.
Nevertheless, it is necessary for people involved to be well prepared in advance before the BPR. This according to Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) will ensures that they endure errors and mistakes they might encounter throughout the re-engineering process. The other important aspect required is the manager’s perception. In order to successfully attain and to assure business effectiveness, it is important as Damijan (2009, p. 588-608) discussed to entirely shift the focus to the management perception of information especially from the information support in business department.
On the same basis following Damijan (2009, p. 588-608) statement, “whenever the management has sufficient knowledge focused on information management and if in any way it supports the initiative of information specialist, it is definitely clear indicator that BPM is being perceived in the company with positive impacts.”
It is the role of the management to set high performance goals to be attained when implementing the BPR projects. This definitely makes it easy for the management personnel based on Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) to assess the progress during the period under which the process takes to be either positive or negative.
It is important for companies under proper leadership and management to continuously change their business processes. This is to enable the company to survive the competitive business environment. It is the mandate of the top management to develop an initiative directed to change the business process. It is therefore a requirement stated by Damijan (2009, p. 588-608) that all employees who are working under new business process need to embrace and own the changes otherwise, the project would definitely fail.
This simply means that for a successful BPR project implementation, it is important that the leadership of the company must be trust worth, tolerant, respectful and confident with esteemed high reputations. As Damijan (2009, p. 588-608) stated, overcoming employee’s resistance toward business changes is the greatest barrier for the successful implementation of BPR project.
Companies with good leadership and management must always be flexible and be ready for changes. Additionally, managers have an option of giving out rewards to their employees with outstanding performance. This again will steer up employees to efficiently and excellently carry out their duties without supervision.
The other most important factor required for the success of BPR/BPM implementation as stated by Damijan (2009, p. 588-608) is to include the associate people in the management of the organizational change. It is the people (staff) in the trenches who always carry out the implementation and a good leadership will always incorporate staffs throughout the entire process.
According to Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) effective communication is an effective tool for a successful BPR project implementation. A proper communication measure that is applicable at all levels is essential and vitally required to be used throughout the entire BPR process. In order to achieve an effective outcome based on Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) work, the audience who are directly or indirectly involved with the BPR processes at all level must be involved.
An effective communication also ensures that proper patience and understanding is fully achieved within stakeholders participating inside and outside the organization. This creates the best platform to market the BPR programmes. Communication measures are also very important and should be carried out more and more frequently.
Nevertheless, communication should be more open, honest and clear. This must be applicable according to Al-Mashari (1999, p. 87) applicable whenever discussing critical and sensitive issues that are related to changes, for example personnel reductions.
Conclusion
In summary, many people worldwide are still confused exactly on what really constitutes BPR/BPM. This is evident by the fact that BPM community itself has not yet developed and agreed on a common definition and approaches towards the concept. However, BPM is globally regarded as one of the most effective business management processes.
In such processes, people (staffs) are the only principle at the centre of the business processes.It is clear that for a successful implementation of a business process (BPR/BPM), there is need for the company to have proper leadership in charge of the company management. No success will ever be effectively achieved without proper ability of the management to efficiently control the entire businesses processes proactively and predicatively.
References
Al-Mashari, M & Zairi, M. (1999). BPR implementation process: an analysis of key success and failure factors. Bradford: Emerald group publishing Limited. Vol. 5, no.1, pp. 87
Damijan, Z., Andrej, K & Stemberger, M. (2009). The influence of business management and some other CSFs on successful EPR implementation.
Bradford: Emerald group publishing Limited. Vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 588-608s
Olivera, M. (2000). Supporting the soft side of business process re-engineering. Bradford: Emerald group publishing Limited. Vol. 6, no.1, pp 43.