Manufacturing Operations
Business Process Reengineering has gained a considerable attention in the world of change management during the past years. While more and more organizations embark on the BPR trend it can be concluded, that the theoretical bedrock for BPR falls rather short of the concepts ambition of being a solution for a multiplicity of problems that many companies suffer from.
This thesis is intended to provide a theoretical framework for BPR by linking the concept to existing theories within marketing, organization theory and informatics.
It is estimated that between 50% and 70% of reengineering efforts fail to achieve the goals set for them and figures from evaluations of TQM indicate the same results [STEWART93].
Even though impressing results have been achieved, the high rate of failure leads to an immense waste of resources in many organizations.
This waste might be avoided, if change agents would gain genuine knowledge about the concept they are struggling with. According to my opinion, the reasons for failure can be found in the following areas:
1) BPR has no solid theoretical bedrock.
2) The methods used may be inadequate.
3) Projects are performed inappropriately.
The following list includes some of the terms used as synonyms for BPR:
• Business Reengineering
• Business Process Reengineering
• Business Process Redesign
• Business Process Improvement
1.2.2. Relating BPR to theories
The BPR concept is, as it has been mentioned above, an integration of theories from a multiplicity of disciplines. A multidimen-sional approach, considering the premises and assumptions from all three areas had therefore to be used. However, interdependies are not only found between BPR and each of the theoretical areas, even the source areas are highly interrelated and can not be considered as single entities, but as a network of theories, together building a theoretical bedrock for the BPR concept.
1.3. Disposition
2. What is business
This thesis is intended to provide a theoretical framework for BPR by linking the concept to existing theories within marketing, organization theory and informatics.
It is estimated that between 50% and 70% of reengineering efforts fail to achieve the goals set for them and figures from evaluations of TQM indicate the same results [STEWART93].
Even though impressing results have been achieved, the high rate of failure leads to an immense waste of resources in many organizations.
This waste might be avoided, if change agents would gain genuine knowledge about the concept they are struggling with. According to my opinion, the reasons for failure can be found in the following areas:
1) BPR has no solid theoretical bedrock.
2) The methods used may be inadequate.
3) Projects are performed inappropriately.
The following list includes some of the terms used as synonyms for BPR:
• Business Reengineering
• Business Process Reengineering
• Business Process Redesign
• Business Process Improvement
1.2.2. Relating BPR to theories
The BPR concept is, as it has been mentioned above, an integration of theories from a multiplicity of disciplines. A multidimen-sional approach, considering the premises and assumptions from all three areas had therefore to be used. However, interdependies are not only found between BPR and each of the theoretical areas, even the source areas are highly interrelated and can not be considered as single entities, but as a network of theories, together building a theoretical bedrock for the BPR concept.
1.3. Disposition
2. What is business