Determinants of Process Change Outcome: An Exploratory Case Study Research Model

This research looks to explore business process change within an institutional framework to determine its applicability in identifying determinants of success and failure in Business Process Change efforts. While there are many reasons suggested for failure, elements of the process involving the human factor are the primary area of concern for this study. An extensive literature review of 63 Business Process Change(BPC), including Business Process Reengineering(BPR), Total Quality Management(TQM), Lean Manufacturing(LM), Six Sigma and Continuous Process Improvement(CPI) case studies was conducted to determine the preliminary success/failure factors. The factors that are being investigated in this study are: industry type, number of employees, process change type, change response type, upper management support, lower echelon support, performance measurements, initial change focus and downsizing made during process change. The target variable is the process change outcome. The primary purpose of this study is to examine possible factors that either promote or inhibit success in process change efforts. The factors chosen for inclusion are those that are most closely associated with institutional theory and the human elements associated with process change in the workplace. This information will contribute to the existing research suggesting the congruence between Institutional Theory and Organization Change Theory.