HRM's Strategic Role in Business Process Reengineering: Challenges

This essay examines the crucial role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in Business Process Reengineering (BPR). It begins by differentiating BPR from Total Quality Management (TQM), highlighting BPR's focus on radical redesign within a specific timeframe. The essay then delves into potential challenges in BPR implementation, such as lack of flexibility, impatience, poor skills, and insufficient financial support. Furthermore, it outlines strategies companies employ to address these challenges, emphasizing organizational ownership and full management participation. The essay concludes with recommendations for successful BPR implementation, including strategic planning, executive sponsorship, and the formation of cross-functional teams, ultimately asserting that effective change management is key to the success of BPR. The provided references support the claims made throughout the essay.

Role of HRM in Business
Process Reengineering.Name:
Institution:
Date:

TQM and BPR
TQM and BPR have a cross-functional
relationship (Stoddard 2011)
TQM-focuses on gradual improvement and
incremental change
BPR- focuses on redesigning and improving
work process in a specific timeframe
Stoddard, D 2011, 'Business Reengineering at
CIGNA Corporation: Experiences and Lessons
Learned From the First Five Years', MIS
Quarterly, 18, 3, pp. 233-250.

Cont..
Existing literature describes Business Process Re-
engineering and change management in the
service sector (Wheeler 2012)
very little has been written on the challenges of
its implementation.
It is fundamental rethinking and radical
redesigning of a business process
Wheeler, D 2012, 'Facilities Strategic Business
Responses to Sustainability', Greener Management
International, 40, pp. 107-119.

Potential Challenges in Business Process
Reengineering
Lack of flexibility- IT-outsourcing services are
more flexible making big problems for
operational management (Wheeler 2002).
Impatience-Organizations are in a hurry to
reap the profit rather than the process required
to understand its operation
Wheeler, D 2012, 'Facilities Strategic Business
Responses to Sustainability', Greener
Management International, 40, pp. 107-119.

Cont..
Poor skills- there is limited IT-sourcing skills and often
depend on external consultancy services (Stoddard 2011, p.
236)
Insufficient financial support- this limits essential
aspects like staff training for many small-scale
organizations
Stoddard, D 2011, 'Business Reengineering at CIGNA
Corporation: Experiences and Lessons Learned From the
First Five Years', MIS Quarterly, 18, 3, pp. 233-250

Strategies used by Companies in
Addressing the challenges
1. Organizational ownership rather than external
consultants
 The step helps in ensuring clear understanding and
value of the tool rather than depending on external
consultants according to Henack (2011, p. 90) .
 Equips the workforce with the necessary skills for
effective implementation and use
Henack, W 2011, 'Balance in Business Reengineering:
An Empirical Study of Fit and Performance', Journal Of
Management Information Systems, 14, 1, pp. 93-118.

Cont.…
2. Henack (2011) denotes that full management
participation and funding. This involves;
 Funding
 setting new standards
 encouraging others to adopt innovative
approaches
Henack, W 2011, 'Balance in Business
Reengineering: An Empirical Study of Fit and
Performance', Journal Of Management Information
Systems, 14, 1, pp. 93-118.

RecommendationsThe implementation of business re-engineering should
be accompanied by;
Strategic planning- address IT leverage as a competitive
business tool (Stoddard 2011)
Sponsored by top executives who are still in the job
Organizational ownership rather than external
consultants
Managers and workers to form the cross functional
teams
Stoddard, D 2011, 'Business Reengineering at CIGNA
Corporation: Experiences and Lessons Learned From the
First Five Years', MIS Quarterly, 18, 3, pp. 233-250.

Conclusion
Business process reengineering is an
effective tool for change management
there are several challenges facing its
implementation process.
change management during the business
process reengineering implementation is the
determinant of the extent of its failure or
success

ReferencesHenack, W 2011, 'Balance in Business
Reengineering: An Empirical Study of Fit and
Performance', Journal Of Management
Information Systems, 14, 1, pp. 93-118. Business
Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 24 April
2018.
Stoddard, D 2011, 'Business Reengineering at
CIGNA Corporation: Experiences and Lessons
Learned From the First Five Years', MIS
Quarterly, 18, 3, pp. 233-250.
Wheeler, D 2012, 'Facilities Strategic Business
Responses to Sustainability', Greener
Management International, 40, pp. 107-119.