scholarly journals The quest for organizational flexibility

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 763-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Anastassiu ◽  
Flavia Maria Santoro ◽  
Jan Recker ◽  
Michael Rosemann
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Modeling ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Informational Support ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for identifying business process-relevant contextual information that is likely to impact on the process goal. The ORGANON method describes a semi-structured procedural guide alongside with a set of criteria and a matrix for analyzing ontological transactions, which can be used to identify which context information can be considered relevant to a business process. Design/methodology/approach – The authors report on an evaluation of the ORGANON method through a case study conducted in an organization that works in the social security domain. Findings – The results provide evidences of the feasibility of the method application in this scenario. Originality/value – Our research contributes to the literature on business processes flexibility, specifically through a proposal for context identification that can be extended to current techniques for business process modeling and in turn forms the basis for existing approaches for making business processes more flexible. The work has implications for the strategic management of organizations, by suggesting a method that provides informational support to decision makers about when, where and why business processes need to be adapted.

A business process modeling‐based approach to investigate complex processes

2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faisal A. Abu Rub ◽  
Ayman A. Issa
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Modeling ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Business Process Modeling ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Complex Processes ◽  
Model Complex

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a new approach to investigate complex processes, such as software development processes, using business process modeling.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents an investigation into the use of role activity diagramming (RAD) to model complex processes in the software industry sector, with reference to the process of TestWarehouse as a case study.FindingsSystematic extension and quantitative analysis to RAD models led to the discovery of process bottlenecks, identification of cross functional boundary problems, and focused discussion about automation of processes.Research limitations/implicationsFurther work is required to validate and evaluate the proposed approach using several cases with different application domains and thus generalize the adopted approach.Practical implicationsA new approach has been used successfully to understand and analyze business processes. The tools and techniques that are used to perform the approach are not complicated and do not need much specialist expertise, so the approach is not only oriented toward specialists but also toward organizations' managers and staff.Originality/valueNew techniques have been developed by using process modelling to deepen the understanding and analyzing of complex organizational processes. This research implements a practical investigation which uses a case study to validate the new techniques.

Size does matter – span of control in hospitals

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Holm-Petersen ◽  
Sussanne Østergaard ◽  
Per Bo Noergaard Andersen
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Hospital Staff ◽  
Leadership Capacity ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Span Of Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Frontline Leaders ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Centralization, mergers and cost reductions have generally led to increasing levels of span of control (SOC), and thus potentially to lower leadership capacity. The purpose of this paper is to explore how a large SOC impacts hospital staff and their leaders. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a qualitative explorative case study of three large inpatient wards. Findings The study finds that the nursing staff and their frontline leaders experience challenges in regard to visibility and role of the leader, e.g., in creating overview, coordination, setting-up clear goals, following up and being in touch. However, large wards also provide flexibility and development possibilities. Practical implications The authors discuss the implications of these findings for decision makers in deciding future SOC and for future SOC research. Originality/value Only few studies have qualitatively explored the consequences of large SOC in hospitals.

How “The Three Rules” guide strategy and investment decisions at Deloitte Consulting LLP

2015 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 7-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jim Moffatt
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Case ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Thought Leadership

Purpose – This case example looks at how Deloitte Consulting applies the Three Rules synthesized by Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed based on their large-scale research project that identified patterns in the way exceptional companies think. Design/methodology/approach – The Three Rules concept is a key piece of Deloitte Consulting’s thought leadership program. So how are the three rules helping the organization perform? Now that research has shown how exceptional companies think, CEO Jim Moffatt could address the question, “Does Deloitte think like an exceptional company?” Findings – Deloitte has had success with an approach that promotes a bias towards non-price value over price and revenue over costs. Practical implications – It’s critical that all decision makers in an organization understand how decisions that are consistent with the three rules have contributed to past success as well as how they can apply the rules to difficult challenges they face today. Originality/value – This is the first case study written from a CEO’s perspective that looks at how the Three Rules approach of Michael Raynor and Mumtaz Ahmed can foster a firm’s growth and exceptional performance.

Integration between knowledge management and business process management and its impact on the decision making process in the construction sector: a case study of Jordan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Wasef Abuezhayeh ◽  
Les Ruddock ◽  
Issa Shehabat
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Business Process Management ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate and explain how organizations in the construction sector can enhance their decision-making process (DMP) by practising knowledge management (KM) and business process management (BPM) activities. A conceptual framework is developed that recognises the elements that impact DMP in terms of KM and BPM. The development of this framework goes beyond current empirical work on KM in addition to BPM as it investigates a wider variety of variables that impact DMP. Design/methodology/approach A case study is undertaken in the context of the construction industry in Jordan. A theoretical framework is developed and assessment of the proposed framework was undertaken through a questionnaire survey of decision-makers in the construction sector and expert interviews. Findings The outcomes of this research provide several contributions to aid decision-makers in construction organizations. Growth in the usage of KM and BPM, in addition to the integration between them, can provide employees with task-related knowledge in the organization’s operative business processes, improve process performance, promote core competence and maximise and optimise business performance. Originality/value Through the production of a framework, this study provides a tool to enable improved decision-making. The framework generates a strong operational as well as theoretical approach to the organizational utilization of knowledge and business processes.

A Method for Eliciting Goals for Business Process Models based on Non-Functional Requirements Catalogues

2013 ◽  
pp. 226-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evellin Cardoso ◽  
João Paulo A. Almeida ◽  
Renata S. S. Guizzardi ◽  
Giancarlo Guizzardi
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Modeling ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Business Process Modeling ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Functional Requirements ◽  
Business Process Models ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
Goal Models

While traditional approaches in business process modeling tend to focus on “how” the business processes are performed (adopting a behavioral description in which business processes are described in terms of procedural aspects), in goal-oriented business process modeling, the proposals strive to extend traditional business process methodologies by providing a dimension of intentionality to business processes. One of the key difficulties in enabling one to model goal-oriented processes concerns the identification or elicitation of goals. This paper reports on a case study conducted in a Brazilian hospital, which obtained several goal models represented in i*/Tropos, each of which correspond to a business process also modeled in the scope of the study. NFR catalogues were helpful in goal elicitation, uncovering goals that did not come up during previous interviews prior to these catalogues’ use.

Metamorphosis of a kibbutz industry: an Israeli case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaffa Moskovich ◽  
Yuval Achouch
Keyword(s):  
Global Economy ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ethnographic Interviews ◽  
The Social ◽  
A Current ◽  
Organizational Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on a current trend in kibbutz industries, and to examine the numerous changes at Millennium Industries. Design/methodology/approach – A case study was carried out documenting the organizational biography of Millennium Industries. Ethnographic interviews were held with kibbutz members employed by the organization, former CEO’s and with other workers. Findings – The research describes the life cycle of the plant from its beginnings, through its maturity, its growth until its decline. It also explains the organizational failure of the plant, in terms of its background and the difficulties of managing a kibbutz industry in an era of global economy. The causes of its decline stem mainly from a kibbutz-style management based on non-professional involvement of the community in business, and incompatible with the rough competition of capitalistic markets. The plant was finally sold to a private investor, thereby losing its identity as a kibbutz plant. Research limitations/implications – As a single case-study this research cannot pretend to statistical generalization of the findings but linked to the kibbutz and the organizational literature, findings seem to allow generalization of theoretical propositions concerning evolution of the kibbutz industry (an analytic generalization according to Yin, 2013). Originality/value – While the kibbutz society and its industry are involved in deep changes for the two last decades, very little research was made on kibbutz industry. This paper should contribute to actualize the social knowledge about these specific and interesting phenomena.

scholarly journals Exploring location-dependency in process modeling

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 794-815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinwei Zhu ◽  
Jan Recker ◽  
Guobin Zhu ◽  
Flávia Maria Santoro
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Modeling ◽  
Context Awareness ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Flow Patterns ◽  
Control Flow ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Location Awareness ◽  
Process Data ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – Context-awareness has emerged as an important principle in the design of flexible business processes. The goal of the research is to develop an approach to extend context-aware business process modeling toward location-awareness. The purpose of this paper is to identify and conceptualize location-dependencies in process modeling. Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses a pattern-based approach to identify location-dependency in process models. The authors design specifications for these patterns. The authors present illustrative examples and evaluate the identified patterns through a literature review of published process cases. Findings – This paper introduces location-awareness as a new perspective to extend context-awareness in BPM research, by introducing relevant location concepts such as location-awareness and location-dependencies. The authors identify five basic location-dependent control-flow patterns that can be captured in process models. And the authors identify location-dependencies in several existing case studies of business processes. Research limitations/implications – The authors focus exclusively on the control-flow perspective of process models. Further work needs to extend the research to address location-dependencies in process data or resources. Further empirical work is needed to explore determinants and consequences of the modeling of location-dependencies. Originality/value – As existing literature mostly focusses on the broad context of business process, location in process modeling still is treated as “second class citizen” in theory and in practice. This paper discusses the vital role of location-dependencies within business processes. The proposed five basic location-dependent control-flow patterns are novel and useful to explain location-dependency in business process models. They provide a conceptual basis for further exploration of location-awareness in the management of business processes.

Ownership relevance in aspect-oriented business process models

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 566-593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Cesar Sampaio do Prado Leite ◽  
Flavia Maria Santoro ◽  
Claudia Cappelli ◽  
Thais Vasconcelos Batista ◽  
Fabiana Jack Nogueira Santos
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Process Modeling ◽  
Process Model ◽  
Business Process Modeling ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Actor Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Process Modeling Notation ◽  
Representation Scheme

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose a representation scheme based on the i* strategic actor model to represent the process owner information and show how to incorporate this approach into the event driven process chain and Business Process Modeling Notation-BPMN meta-models and also into the aspect-oriented business process modeling (BPM) context. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a case study in a real setting to evaluate the proposal and a controlled experiment to get more evidence about its relevance. Findings – The authors presented evidence both from a case study in a real-world library showing the importance of representing – previously unavailable – process owner information, and from an experiment which involved participants analyzing the same models of the case study, confirming the preliminary evidences. It is important to stress the recognition that the proposed representation provided more transparency, in terms of ownership, than the usual BPM models. These benefits are due to the combination of the aspect-oriented approach and the strategic actor model, providing ownership information in a more transparent way. Originality/value – The authors not only argue the importance of clearly established process ownership, both of the core process and the aspectual process, but also the authors presented an approach to represent the actor involved in process and aspect ownership as an instantiation of the i* strategic actor. Using this approach, the process owner can be defined in terms of actors instead of the activities performed. It is also possible to define the aspect owner and to include the aspectual process concept in the business process model.

Internet of Things and business processes redesign in seaports. The case of Hamburg

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Ferretti ◽  
Francesco Schiavone
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Port Management ◽  
Type Design ◽  
Illustrative Case Study

Purpose The goal of the present article is to contribute to the extant literature about the exploitation of IoT in seaports by illustrating in detail how such IT infrastructures can impact on the redesign of their business processes. Thus, the research question of the study is: how do IoT technologies redesign the business processes of seaports? Design/methodology/approach The article reports the illustrative case study of the German Port of Hamburg, one of the main European seaports, which widely adopted technologies based on IoT over the last few years. Findings The results show the adoption of IoT technologies widely redesigns and improves the performance of all the main business process of the port analysed, in particular those processes related to technology and information of the organisation. The IoT-driven BPR must be planned strategically by the port management and implies the involvement of all the port stakeholders and, if necessary, the hiring external professional partners. Originality/value Despite some authors report generically which are the ports operational domains more affected by IoT, there is a lack of studies about the specific implications of the adoption of such technologies on the BPR of seaports. The article fills in this gap.

The BPM lifecycle

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronaldo Bernardo ◽  
Simone Vasconcelos Ribeiro Galina ◽  
Silvia Inês Dallavalle de Pádua
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Business Process ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Process Management ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fourth Step ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework that incorporates factors external to the organization into the business process management (BPM) lifecycle through dynamic capabilities (DCs), beginning with strategy and persisting through the business process transformation. Design/methodology/approach The study comprised four distinct phases. First, a literature review was conducted to identify validated theoretical models related to the topic. Then, a systematic review of the literature was conducted by accessing the EBSCOhost, ISI/Web of Science and Scopus databases, for the purpose of understanding how the relationship between BPM and DCs has been addressed. The third step was the identification of the meta-capabilities involved in the relationship between DC and BPM, the fourth step was the construction of a framework that integrated an external view into BPM through DC, and the final step evaluated these framework through a case study. Findings Ten texts were selected after a systematic literature review. The following main points of convergence were identified: DC contributes to the conceptualization and understanding of BPM, DC assists in the process of organizational change by promoting the adaptation of the company to the environment, and DC enhances BPM performance. A framework was developed and presented. Practical implications The proposed framework, which incorporates an external perspective into the BPM lifecycle through DCs, can be used by managers and researchers interested in the promotion of BPM. Originality/value The study shows how the sensing, seizing and transforming meta-capabilities can act to evaluate the outside-in perspective, serve as a benchmark for the alignment of business processes and enable the operationalization of emerging demands through the dynamic adaptation of processes.

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