<p> Business process redesign (BPR) has been studied extensively since its
initial widespread application in the late 1980s. Although a great deal has been
learned by both practitioners and researchers about the best ways to use BPR
for business process improvement, the overall failure rate of BPR projects is
still reported to be high. This failure rate indicates that there is still a need for
a comprehensive success factor model, validated with empirical evidence, to
provide direction to practitioners that will help to improve the outcomes of
business process redesign projects. Up to this point, few studies have
identified and empirically tested the possible facilitators of BPR project
success. </p> <p> This is an exploratory study, where Social-Technical Theory was applied
in the context of BPR project implementation to explain the impact of success
factors on BPR project success. The proposed conceptual research model
includes the following factors: BPR project champion, top management
support, change management, process redesign, and Information and
Communication Technology Infrastructure (ICTI) improvement. The model
considers critical factors from both the social and technical aspects of BPR
project practices and the relationships among them. Facets of BPR project
outcomes, including operational quality improvement, organizational quality
improvement, cost savings, and productivity, were also examined. </p> <p> A survey of 145 managers and executives from medium and large-sized
companies was used to validate the model. The results show that a BPR project champion is a critical success factor for BPR project success, mediated
through top management support, and that top management support must be
emphasized through the whole BPR project implementation procedure. More
specifically, change management has a better likelihood of success if it is
strongly supported by top management, while other factors play an important
role in helping to encourage process redesign and ICTI improvements. </p> <p> This study also shows that three BPR project implementation components:
change management, process redesign, and information and communications
technology infrastructure (ICTI) improvement, are all critical to BPR project
success. However, change management occupies the most important position
because it impacts significantly the success of all four facets of BPR project
outcomes (operational quality improvement, organizational quality
improvement, cost savings, and productivity). Among these outcomes, the
study showed that productivity is no longer the top focus of companies;
instead, operational quality and organizational quality have become more
important. </p> <p> This study makes a significant contribution to both theory and practice.
The establishment of a BPR project implementation model based on
socio-technical theory, and the development of new instruments for change
management and process redesign, provide a foundation for future BPR
project research. With respect to practice, the specification of three BPR
project implementation components presents managers with clear guidance
regarding BPR project implementation. The validated model will help
practitioners to understand in advance what major obstacles they may face (change management, process redesign, or information technology) and how
they should implement BPR projects in a way that will achieve their expected
goals. </p> <p> As such, this study represents a significant advance over the existing
literature, in the development of a valid model to explain the relationships
between success factors and outcomes within a BPR project context. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/19395 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Xiang, Junlian |
| Contributors | Archer, Norm, Business Administration |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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