A Test of the Communication Flow Optimization Model Through an Action Research Study at a Defense Contractor

Operational-level approaches to process redesign have traditionally focused on “workflows”, or the chronological flows of activities in processes. It is argued in this chapter that while this makes some sense in materials-transformation processes, whose final product usually is a tangible manufactured item (e.g., a car engine), this orientation is fundamentally inconsistent with the communication-intensive nature of the vast majority of processes found in organizations today. This chapter shows, through an action research study, that a focus on communication flow representations and methods is likely to lead to better process redesign outcomes than a focus on representations and methods in connection with “workflows”. It does so by developing a set of research questions based on the communication flow optimization model, and answering those questions in the context provided by three process redesign projects facilitated by the researcher at a defense contractor in the US.