Search results

The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of research into the precedence of the maturity factors, or key turning points in business process maturity (BPM) implementation efforts. A key turning point is a component of BPM that stabilizes within an organization and leads to the next maturity level.

Several years of data from over 1,000 companies in the USA, Europe, China, and Brazil that have completed a BPM assessment are analyzed to identify which components of BPM stabilize, when and in what order. Different analysis methods are employed in order to identify global commonalities and differences.

The paper identifies key turning points from several different perspectives using several different approaches and develops some conclusions common to all methods used in this research.

The relationship between the components (dependencies) is only suggested but not statistically analyzed. Several data sets are also on the low end of sample size for the methods used and some parts of the research used ad hoc selection of companies of arbitrarily distributed companies into different groups.

The results can be useful for leaders and teams that are attempting the journey to process maturity. The guide‐posts, milestones, and measures can help answer the question “Where am I on this journey and what is next?”

A plethora of maturity models has emerged that claim to guide an organization through the process of building levels of maturity that lead to competitive advantage. To date, there has been a lack of quantitative studies documenting these road‐maps. The paper provides global, quantitative evidence of the critical maturity components associated at each level of maturity.

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the relationship between supply chain maturity and performance, with specific references both to the business process orientation maturity model and to the supply chain operation reference model.

Quantitative, survey based research was carried out with 478 Brazilian companies. Statistical analysis combined the use of descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling.

Empirical results indicate a strong and positive statistical relationship between supply chain maturity and performance. The results also suggest that the deliver process maturity has a higher impact on overall performance than the other supply chain processes.

Quantifying supply chain maturity and performance is an opportunity for a company to align its performance measurements and process improvement actions with its broader policies and strategies. The use of this approach has been validated in several previous research studies in organizational self‐assessment and business management.

Maturity models are valuable frameworks for corporate leadership. This study provides solid statistical evidence that a company that has achieved a higher maturity level and implemented the maturity factors also has achieved superior performance. It also validates the application of these specific maturity factors in South America, specifically Brazil.

This paper confirms and expands upon earlier research suggesting higher levels of process maturity were related to superior performance. This paper also examines the evolution of performance measurement systems, moving from a traditional approach to a more process oriented perspective by reporting on the origins of maturity models and presenting the main empirical contributions through the use of the business process maturity model and supply chain operation reference model.

The realities of today’s digital economy are requiring and enabling dramatically improved levels of supply chain efficiency and effectiveness. The business‐to‐business (B2B) or extended digital supply chain, enabled by Internet technologies, is specifically being offered as the next competitive weapon. This paper offers definitions and measures of the extended supply chain construct and reviews the results of an ongoing benchmarking research project completed in cooperation with the US and European Supply Chain Councils. This study found that Internet usage is just beginning in both the USA and Europe but has significant relationships to cross‐company (B2B) integrating practices that are key components of the extended supply chain and supply chain management performance.

To counteract the effects of global competition, many organizations have extended their enterprises by forming supply chain networks. However, as organizations increase their dependence on these networks, they become more vulnerable to their suppliers' risk profiles. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology for modeling and evaluating risk profiles in supply chains via Bayesian networks.

Empirical data from 15 casting suppliers to a major US automotive company are analyzed using Bayesian networks. The networks provide a methodological approach for determining a supplier's external, operational, and network risk probability, and the potential revenue impact a supplier can have on the company.

Bayesian networks can be used to develop supplier risk profiles to determine the risk exposure of a company's revenue stream. The supplier risk profiles can be used to determine those risk events which have the largest potential impact on an organization's revenues, and the highest probability of occurrence.

A limitation to the use of Bayesian networks to model supply chain risks is the proper identification of risk events and risk categories that can impact a supply chain.

The methodology used in this study can be adopted by managers to formulate supply chain risk management strategies and tactics which mitigate overall supply chain risks.

The methodology used in this study can be used by organizations to reduce supply chain risks which yield numerous societal benefits.

As part of a comprehensive supplier risk management program, organizations along with their suppliers can develop targeted approaches to minimize the occurrence of supply chain risk events.

With the globalisation of supply chains the importance of supply chain risk management (SCRM) has grown considerably. Still, although both researchers and practitioners fully agree on its importance, most companies pay very limited attention to SCRM. The purpose of this paper is to use expectation confirmation theory to investigate the reasons for that.

The authors use a combination of six mini case studies and a survey of 89 companies to show how a different attitude towards SCRM can lead to greater value from SCRM efforts.

In line with the expectation confirmation theory the authors stipulate that the primary reason is in companies’ attitudes towards SCRM. Their main expectation is risk avoidance and not value generation. In such a case, even “successful” SCRM programmes merely confirm such an expectation (e.g. no risk materialised or with a limited impact) and the company continues to avoid risk while limiting the resources for SCRM. It is only when the expected benefit of SCRM is not solely risk avoidance but mainly value generation that increased attention can be expected over time.

The paper is exploratory in nature. Some of the stipulations in the theoretical part were not fully investigated in the quantitative part. The survey had a relatively small sample and a low-response rate. The constructs used in the survey did not use previously validated questionnaires.

Companies should focus on changing expectations of their managers and employees regarding SCRM and emphasise the value potentially generated by SCRM.

Use of expectation confirmation theory to investigate the reasons for limited attention to SCRM, to improve the understanding of attitude towards SCRM and to open many important areas for further research.

This article offers an approach to building a high‐level business process view of the enterprise, based on cognitive mapping techniques and the principles of modularity.

A case study illustrates how these maps can be used in action learning and executive leadership development programs as a means of aligning enterprise leadership by implementing a cross‐functional process view from the top down.

This enterprise map shows both the customers' and the business's processes and their interrelationships, which helps align business strategy to process strategy, design and ownership.

The authors suggest that future case analysis research be conducted in other private sector industries using the same model.

Building the business process view is a critical first step in business process orientation, an organizational philosophy closely linked to “systems thinking”. It can link business strategy and customer needs to all the aspects of process design and management in a very powerful and visual way. This is the foundation for the success of corporations tomorrow by providing a clear view of the interrelationships inside and outside the company and by establishing a common language for change management.

This paper offers a unique approach for using cognitive mapping techniques and the principles of modularity to help align business strategy to process strategy, design and ownership.

The concept of process maturity proposes that a process has a lifecycle that is assessed by the extent to which the process is explicitly defined, managed, measured and controlled. A maturity model assumes that progress towards goal achievement comes in stages. The supply chain maturity model presented in this paper is based on concepts developed by researchers over the past two decades. The Software Engineering Institute has also applied the concept of process maturity to the software development process in the form of the capability maturity model. This paper examines the relationship between supply chain management process maturity and performance, and provides a supply chain management process maturity model for enhanced supply chain performance.

How do planning and capabilities affect operational performance? This paper aims to formulate hypotheses comprising correlations amongst those constructs in an integrated approach for industrial companies, considering the source, make and deliver process areas.

Based on a survey of 164 Brazilian industrial companies, analysis of data was conducted including descriptive statistics, evaluation of a research model's internal scale reliability, statistical construct path analysis, and structural equation modeling.

The findings indicate that planning and capabilities must be taken as inter‐related initiatives that jointly influence operations performance. Significant correlations were found amongst these constructs in the source, make and deliver process areas. The model tested on this study was able to explain 84 percent of the variation in the overall performance of the companies sampled.

The reference model was tested using a diversified sample of Brazilian industrial organizations and did not include service or other types of organizations, thereby limiting the generalizability of the results and conclusions. The findings suggest a balanced weight of operations capabilities and planning. Both play an important role on performance. These results can drive organizational strategy, indicating that companies should look to their capabilities, but that developing planning activities driven to the market should be considered mandatory.

Whereas some aspects of the relationship between planning and performance as well as the relationship between capabilities and performance have been reviewed in early contributions, few studies have addressed these complex mediations using an integrated process value approach.

As supply chains continue to replace individual firms as the economic engine for creating value during the twenty‐first century, understanding the relationship between supply‐chain management practices and supply chain performance becomes increasingly important. The Supply‐Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model developed by the Supply Chain Council provides a framework for characterizing supply‐chain management practices and processes that result in best‐in‐class performance. However, which of these practices have the most influence on supply chain performance? This exploratory study investigates the relationship between supply‐chain management planning practices and supply chain performance based on the four decision areas provided in SCOR Model Version 4.0 (PLAN, SOURCE, MAKE, DELIVER) and nine key supply‐chain management planning practices derived from supply‐chain management experts and practitioners. The results show that planning processes are important in all SCOR supply chain planning decision areas. Collaboration was found to be most important in the Plan, Source and Make planning decision areas, while teaming was most important in supporting the Plan and Source planning decision areas. Process measures, process credibility, process integration, and information technology were found to be most critical in supporting the Deliver planning decision area. Using these results, the study discusses the implications of the findings and suggests several avenues for future research.

As states and districts increasingly focus on school leadership training programs, one less discussed yet vital component is the support mechanisms that can accelerate school leadership performance. This chapter highlights the unique school coaching model developed by NYC Leadership Academy (Leadership Academy), a national organization focused on improving student outcomes through effective leadership practice. Using a standards-based, facilitative approach to coaching early-career leaders in high-need schools, the Leadership Academy has developed a rigorous process for training and developing a cadre of coaches to provide intensive coaching support to school leaders that focuses on strengthening their leadership performance. The chapter discusses the methods and results of the Leadership Academy’s coaching model for the 139 principals leading high-need schools as part of the U.S. Department of Education’s School Leadership Program (SLP) and offers insights into school leadership coaching as a distinct professional practice in education.