Using MetaProi to Improve Business Processes

In my earlier discussion in this book about business process improvement and organizational learning, I have shown that business process improvement has the potential to foster interfunctional knowledge communication and, consequently, organizational learning. In previous chapters of this book, I have analyzed business process improvement efforts that led to levels of knowledge communication not normally seen in routine organizational processes. Those business process improvement efforts have all been carried out through business process improvement groups. Given the potential advantages for organizations from conducting business process improvement groups, the issue of how to conduct such groups becomes very important. There are a number of how-to texts on business process improvement. Such texts describe a variety of normative approaches. Classic texts on how to improve business process quality written by Crosby (1980, 1984), Deming (1986), Ishikawa (1986), and Juran (1989) fed the quality improvement fever of the 1980s. Popular texts focusing on the improvement of business process productivity written by Davenport (1993), Hammer and Champy (1993), Hammer and Stanton (1995), and Harrington (1991), fed the reengineering fever of the 1990s. IDEA GROUP PUBLISHING