Module 2 – Home
Process Innovation
Modular Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this module, the student will be able to satisfy the following outcomes:
Case
Describe the principal organizational processes and explain different patterns of balance of social and technological factors in various process areas.
Describe business process reengineering (BPR) as a set of tools for reviewing processes incremental vs. fundamental process change.
Review cases of BPR to develop an overall framework.
Develop the outlines of a process innovation strategy.
SLP
Identify a strategy for locating the literature you will need to review.
Test your strategy by using it to obtain some sample sources.
Discussion
Compare your thoughts about literature reviewing strategies with your colleagues, and assist one another to improve your strategic perspective on literature.
Module Overview
In this module, we start by looking at the most basic innovations – that is, process innovations, or how we can more efficiently do our usual tasks. On the surface, this would seem to be a relatively simple problem. We need to understand how we are doing the things we are doing and to be able to scan the environment for new and better ways we might use to improve our processes. There is certainly no shortage of new information out there, and with our increasingly global reach we can bring in ideas from all around the world.
In practice, things are not nearly this simple. For one, most organizations, particularly at the top, often have a relatively hazy idea of just what they are doing and how they are doing it. The more managers tend to be drawn from finance and marketing backgrounds rather than engineering or manufacturing, the less likely they are to understand their basic technologies, even those associated with production. Still less are they likely to understand the technological and sociotechnical dimensions of their internal processes for administration and management. And it is a well-known fact (called the Dunning-Kruger Effect) that the less you know about something, the more certain you are about your knowledge. All this means that management decisions about process innovation are often undertaken with considerably less-than-perfect knowledge.
This need not be the case. Organizations have developed fairly systematic ways of classifying and understanding their basic processes, and a great deal is known about the predictable dynamics of Process Innovation. Starting back in the 1980s, there emerged a field called business process reengineering (BPR), intended to systematically study different kinds of business processes and the ways in which they could be changed. One main advantage of this approach was to highlight that no process exists in a vacuum; all the processes in any given business are interdependent on each other, and in the words of the great organizational theorist Kurt Lewin, You cant ever change just one thing.
BPR had some initial major successes, and then fell into some disrepute as a result of excessive claims and unsubstantiated returns. Recently, the field has reemerged as a key component of organizational innovation, this time with more realistic expectations and a greater sense of urgency imposed by globalization and the increasing pace of change. It is a particularly useful tool for understanding how organizational processes interact with one another, and how small changes introduced in one place can have cascading effects throughout the entire system. It is a useful tool to be aware of as you think about how organizations are expected to respond to the world of today and tomorrow.
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Modules/Module2/Mod2Background.html
Module 2 – Background
Process Innovation
Video material
The Process of Innovation | Stephen Ridley. https://youtu.be/q5vSunZ78w0
Required Reading
Galliers, R. D. & Baker, B.S.H. (1995) An Approach To Business Process Reengineering: The Contribution Of Socio-Technical And Soft OR Concepts. Information Systems and Operational Research. 33(4): 263-278. Retrieved October 21, 2017, from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03155986.1995.11732286
SweetProcess (2017) The ultimate guide to business process reengineering. Retrieved October 21, 2017, from https://www.sweetprocess.com/business-process-reengineering/
Kissflow (2017) Business Process Reengineering (BPR) Definition, Steps, and Examples. Retrieved October 21, 2017, from https://kissflow.com/bpm/business-process-reengineering/
Harmon, P. (2010) The Scope and Evolution of Business Process Management. In . vom Brocke and M. Rosemann (eds.), Handbook on Business Process Management 1, International Handbooks on Information Systems, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg. Retrieved October 21, 2017, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul_Harmon8/publication/225932655_The_Scope_and_Evolution_of_Business_Process_Management/links/56fc743c08aef6d10d91bfc9.pdf
Optional Reading
Schmiedel, T., Brocke, J., & Recker, J. (2013) Development and validation of an instrument to measure organizational cultures support of business process management. Information & Management, 51(1):43-56. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://eprints.qut.edu.au/62978/3/IaM_acceptedManuscript.pdf
Garvin, D. (1998) The Processes of Organization and Management. MIT Sloan Management Review. Summer 1998. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/the-processes-of-organization-and-management/
Yamamoto, Y. and Bellgran, M. (2013) Four types of manufacturing process innovation and their managerial concerns. Forty Sixth CIRP Conference on Manufacturing Systems. Procedia CIRP 7:479 484. Retrived November 15, 2017, from https://ac.els-cdn.com/S2212827113002886/1-s2.0-S2212827113002886-main.pdf?_tid=90699abe-cf35-11e7-8968-00000aacb360&acdnat=1511321642_f3e210dcaf3710a6b51a79e6ffbd3b3c
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Modules/Module2/Mod2Case.html
Module 2 – Case
Process Innovation
Assignment Overview
In this assignment, you will identify and apply BPR principles to problems within an organization that is familiar to you. This may require you to do further research into the sources of the problems you identify, and potential solutions that have been posed for them. You may also wish to research online case studies of BPR applications as a guide toward identifying the kind of analysis you need to provide.
Case Assignment
Prepare a 5- to 7-page paper in accordance with the following Assignment Expectations, on the topic:
Lessons that could be learned by applying BPR principles to my organization
Start by summarizing the core principles of business process reengineering, as you understand them from your reading and other research. Then identify one or more key process problems that are currently being faced by an organization. Choose an organization you are either a member of, or some other organization whose operations you are significantly familiar with. This need not be a manufacturing organization; the same principles apply to service organizations, nonprofits, and even government agencies. If you cannot find a couple of key process problems, then you are not looking very hard. Briefly describe these problems and their effects on the organization, as well as their place within the organizational structure and hierarchy. Then, drawing on your statement of principles, identify how you think BPR might be usefully applied to the problems you describe, and what you expect some of the results might be. Finally, identify what you see as the major barriers or sources of resistance to attempting a BPR-type solution to your problems. Finish with a summary paragraph in which you assess the overall utility of BPR, in light of the case that you have just described.
Assignment Expectations
Length: The written component of this assignment should be 5-7 pages long (double-spaced) without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your paper before submission.
As you complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Cite at least five credible resources.
Reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the Writing Style Guide, which is found under My Resources in the TLC Portal.
Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:
Assignment-driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment.
Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem, and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.
Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.
Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in text citations and the reference list.
Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.
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Modules/Module2/Mod2SLP.html
Module 2 – SLP
Process Innovation
During Module 2, your project assignment is to develop a strategy for searching out key sources within the literature that will meet the needs you identified in your Module 1 SLP. By strategy, we mean a list of steps that you will take to identify the sources that you need. These sources may include professional writing such as journal articles or conference presentations, technical reports or other sources of technical data, analyses and opinions presented by knowledgeable experts regarding your problem, or any other kinds of information that you identified a need for in module 1. Hopefully, you will be able to identify a way of gathering information about everything that you identified as a need earlier.
Specifically, you are to prepare a short paper describing your information sources and the steps you will undertake to obtain what information you need. This might involve library research, consultation with other experts, online searching using a variety of tools, or other mechanisms. For each kind of information you seek, you should present here a set of steps by which you can obtain it and incorporated into your project.
This strategy description should be accompanied by two or three specific sources that you have been able to obtain thus far. These might be copies of journal articles or other sources. The point is to show that your strategy has at least begun to pay off in terms of providing the kind of source material you will need to develop your literature review overall.
SLP Assignment Expectations
Length: The written component of this assignment should be 3-4 pages long (double-spaced) without counting the cover page and reference page.
Organization: Subheadings should be used to organize your paper according to the questions.
Grammar and Spelling: While no points are deducted for minor errors, assignments are expected to adhere to standard guidelines of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence syntax. Points may be deducted if grammar and spelling impact clarity. We encourage you to use tools such as grammarly.com and proofread your paper before submission.
As you complete your assignment, make sure you do the following:
Answer the assignment questions directly.
Stay focused on the precise assignment questions. Do not go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials.
Use evidence from your readings to justify your conclusions.
Cite at least five credible resources.
Make sure to reference your sources of information with both a bibliography and in-text citations. See the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper, including pages 11-14 on in-text citations. Another resource is the Writing Style Guide, which is found under My Resources in the TLC Portal.
Your assignment will be graded using the following criteria:
Assignment-driven Criteria: Student demonstrates mastery covering all key elements of the assignment
Critical Thinking/Application to Professional Practice: Student demonstrates mastery conceptualizing the problem, and analyzing information. Conclusions are logically presented and applied to professional practice in an exceptional manner.
Business Writing and Quality of References: Student demonstrates mastery and proficiency in written communication and use of appropriate and relevant literature at the doctoral level.
Citing Sources: Student demonstrates mastery applying APA formatting standards to both in text citations and the reference list.
Professionalism and Timeliness: Assignments are submitted on time.
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Modules/Module2/Mod2Objectives.html
Module 2 – Outcomes
Process Innovation
Module
Distinguish between product and process innovation, and compare how each type interacts with various parts of the organization.
Complete a draft of the literature review section for your doctoral project proposal.
Case
Describe the principal organizational processes and explain different patterns of balance of social and technological factors in various process areas.
Describe business process reengineering (BPR) as a set of tools for reviewing processes incremental vs. fundamental process change.
Review cases of BPR to develop an overall framework.
Develop the outlines of a process innovation strategy.
SLP
Identify a strategy for locating the literature you will need to review.
Test your strategy by using it to obtain some sample sources.
Discussion
Compare your thoughts about literature reviewing strategies with your colleagues, and assist one another to improve your strategic perspective on literature.
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Table of Contents.html
DOC660 Innovation and Creativity in Business (WIN2021-1) – Module 2: Process Innovation
1. Home
2. Background
3. Case
4. SLP
5. Learning Outcomes
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