Business Process Reengineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Process Reengineering - Essay Example Failure of the traditional approaches to effectively address the new conditions led to emergence of innovative perspectives on organizational performance and change with BPR being perhaps the most popular among them. Another distinct feature of the business environment in the early 1990s was the dramatic rise in amounts spent by businesses on information technology (IT), and the linkage between IT and BPR soon became the most popular object of research. Some studies published throughout the first half of 1990s estimated "over half of all reengineering efforts are initiated because of a perceived information technology opportunity" (Caldwell, 1994: 50), and pronounced IT to be the key enabler of effective BRP (Weicher et al, 1995). Although the linkage between IT and BPR has been confirmed repeatedly, there is no clarity as to the aspects of this linkage. The variety of opinions and views expressed in the literature is astonishing ranging from denial of the enabling role of IT in BPR to claims that IT is, in fact, the only enabler of BPR. The below overview seeks to summarise the existing conceptions about the relationship between IT and BPR in order to understand the merit of Information Technology as an enabler to Business Process Re-engineering Main Body In 1990, Michael Hammer published an article in the Harvard Business Review, in which he claimed that the major challenge for managers is to obliterate non-value adding work, rather than using technology for automating it (Hammer 1990). The article was perhaps the first attempt to draw attention of the scholarly community to the problem of information technology (IT) role in BPR. Hammer implicitly accused the management of contemporary businesses of the wrong application of IT which has been used mostly for automating existing practices than rather than revising the obsolete non-value adding ones. Hammer (1990) claims that the potential of IT makes it the most essential enabler of BPR in modern environment, but in order to fulfil the enabling function it must be used as a tool to challenge the traditional conceptions of the business processes that had emerged in the past before the advent and expansion the computer and communications technology. This will result in recognition and breaking away "from the outdated rules and fundamental assumptions underlying operations... These rules of work design are based on assumptions about technology, people, and organizational goals that no longer hold" (p.105). The elements of redesign models described in the early BRP literature illustrate why modern IT plays an important role in the reengineering concept. Hammer (1990) identifies the following basic principles of reengineering: (a) Organization around process outcomes, not tasks; (b) Those who use the output of the process must perform the process; (c) Subsume information processing work into the real work that produces the information; (d) Treat geographically dispersed resources as though they were centralized; (e) Link parallel activities instead of integrating their results; (f) Put the decision

Non Profit Leadership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Non Profit Leadership - Research Paper Example As per the nonprofit trend survey of 2013, nearly 69% of demand lacks to overcome the requirement of senior nonprofit leaders. There has been constant demand for the nonprofit leaders in order to provide proper staffing for the welfare of the society and to increase the source of funding. Since, the nonprofit sector have no profit generation capability and its available resources are limited thus, it is vital that leaders in this sector are more competent towards making the best possible use of the available resources with minimum wastage. Concurrently, the demand for effective resource planning, and motivating these individual engaged in the sector is extremely essential. Correspondingly, it can be argued that there is greater demand for leaders who are eligible and competent to fulfill the various requirements of the nonprofit sector. Moreover, fundraising is essential element for the successful performance of nonprofit sector. However, fundraising requires efficient planning and t heir execution in the most effective manner. Hence, it requires competent leaders who have planning as well as problem solving skills. Strategizing new initiates for the welfare of the society, educating children, assisting in eradication of poverty are general motive of nonprofit sector. Consequently, meeting those goals and objectives seeks for leaders who are capable of guiding and directing the activities of the non-profit organization. Staff retention, providing a flexible work environment, hiring staff also forms key elements for the success of non-profit sector. It can be argued without efficient and competent leaders, it is quite difficult for attaining requisite... Non Profit Leadership The leaders in any organization have significant influence on the performance of the organization as well as on its objectives. Correspondingly, the need for leaders is also ascertained to be extremely vital in the non-profit sector due to several reasons. More specifically, the non-profit sector is concerned with the welfare of the society and has limited resources. Thus, it requires efficient utilization of the available resource which seeks for competent leaders. The role of leaders in the non-profit sector can be identified to be diverse and more complex than the role of leaders in the commercial sector. Leaders in the non-profit sector are required to possess certain personality traits such as problem solving skills, planning and organizing skills, team management skills and relationship building skills among other for successful execution of various function required to meet the objectives of the non-profit organization. Furthermore, it has been identified that there are relati vely less diversity concerning with leaders in the non-profit sector as compared to business leaders. To sum up, it can be asserted that leaders in the non-profit sector are required to display proactive role in order to encourage young leaders. It is equally important to develop approach that would provide financial support to young leaders as well as to implement innovative ideas that would radically promote the goals and objectives of the non-profit organization.