IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mth/jpag88/v10y2020i3p262-287.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Process Reengineering in African Public Sector: Lessons From the Private Sector

Author

Listed:
  • Fatile, Jacob Olufemi
  • Mutereko Sybert
  • Emma Etim

Abstract

Process reengineering (PR) is a newly introduced approach to process management; it pays close attention to all the processes that are related to the achievement of organizational objectives. Although originally developed for and applied in the private sector, PR is expected to constitute a handy tool for the transformation of work processes in public sector organizations (PSOs), especially in this era of information and communications technology. This paper x-rays PR in African public sector organizations (APSOs) with an emphasis on lessons to be learnt from the private sector. This paper adopts a descriptive approach, to validate and modify extant theoretical models that are relevant in explaining PR in APSOs. The paper observes that APSOs, unlike the private sector organizations (PrSOs), PSOs have failed in the adoption of PR as well as carrying out logically related tasks in such a way that well-defined results are achieved. It reveals further that poor PR in APSOs has been a clog in the wheel of achieving high performance, efficient service delivery, public satisfaction, efficient management of resources, and sustainable development in Africa. This paper concludes that APSOs can fully adopt PR if they cut down on excessive bureaucracy and learn more from the private sector in terms of readiness and adaptability to environmental changes and transformation as advocated by the contingency theory (CT). The paper recommends, amongst others, that there should be the availability of information technology (IT) infrastructure and the willingness on the part of government representatives to deploy new technologies through adequate support for information technology companies and the prioritization of IT application's needs for high system automation. Managers of APSOs should be given the power to effect changes when the need arises, without any form of influence. Also, there should be concerns about the future of PSOs, and citizens who are clients thereof should be held in high esteem and not to be treated as ‘people in need of favour’. Finally, APSOs should embrace radical changes associated with PR especially by ensuring that promotions are based on merit and not on seniority alone.

Suggested Citation

  • Fatile, Jacob Olufemi & Mutereko Sybert & Emma Etim, 2020. "Process Reengineering in African Public Sector: Lessons From the Private Sector," Journal of Public Administration and Governance, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(3), pages 262287-2622, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:mth:jpag88:v:10:y:2020:i:3:p:262-287
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jpag/article/download/17688/13664
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jpag/article/view/17688
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sandro Serpa & Carlos Miguel Ferreira, 2019. "The Concept of Bureaucracy by Max Weber," International Journal of Social Science Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 7(2), pages 12-18, March.
    2. -, 2001. "Information, information management and governance," Sede Subregional de la CEPAL para el Caribe (Estudios e Investigaciones) 27495, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    3. Terziovski, Mile & Fitzpatrick, Paul & O&rsquo & Neill, Peter, 2003. "Successful predictors of business process reengineering (BPR) in financial services," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(1), pages 35-50, April.
    4. Oecd, 2002. "Access for Business," OECD Digital Economy Papers 67, OECD Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Pietro Cunha Dolci & Antonio Carlos Gastaud Maçada, 2014. "Information technology investments and supply chain governance," RAC - Revista de Administração Contemporânea (Journal of Contemporary Administration), ANPAD - Associação Nacional de Pós-Graduação e Pesquisa em Administração, vol. 18(2), pages 217-235.
    2. Pereira, Pedro & Ribeiro, Tiago, 2011. "The impact on broadband access to the Internet of the dual ownership of telephone and cable networks," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 283-293, March.
    3. Vitor Braga, 2004. "Business networking for SMEs as a means to promote regional competitiveness: A Theoretical Framework," ERSA conference papers ersa04p455, European Regional Science Association.
    4. M. Kamil Kozan & Levent Akdeniz, 2014. "Role of Strong versus Weak Networks in Small Business Growth in an Emerging Economy," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 4(1), pages 1-16, February.
    5. Dewie Wijayati & Hujjatullah Fazlurrahman & Hafid Hadi, 2018. "The Mediating of Change Organization in the Effect of Strategic Leadership Style and Innovation," International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, Human Resource Management Academic Research Society, International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, vol. 8(4), pages 24-44, April.
    6. Bouët, Antoine & Fontagné, Lionel & Mimouni, Mondher, 2003. "Direct Measure of Protection: A Rehabilitation," Conference papers 331157, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    7. Ghalib Bin Faheem & Danish Ahmed Siddiqui, 2020. "Does FDI Caused Profit Repatriation: Exploring the Moderating Role of Governance Institutions," Business and Economic Research, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(2), pages 134-152, June.
    8. Wilfred E. Mbowe & Fredrick R. Shirima & Deogratius Kimolo, 2020. "Role of Financial Innovation in Enhancing MSMES Access to Credit: An Empirical Investigation on Tanzania," Applied Economics and Finance, Redfame publishing, vol. 7(3), pages 126-144, May.
    9. Lionel Fontagné & Thierry Mayer & Soledad Zignago, 2005. "Trade in the Triad: how easy is the access to large markets?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 38(4), pages 1401-1430, November.
    10. Joseph Savirimuthu, 2003. "The Corporate Pharmaceutical Model and the Legacy of Doha: Whither a Global Consensus on Public Health Governance?," South Asia Economic Journal, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka, vol. 4(1), pages 73-98, March.
    11. Per Erik Eriksson, 2006. "Procurement and Governance Management ? Development of a Conceptual Procurement Model Based on Different Types of Control," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 17(1), pages 30-49.
    12. Picciotto, Robert, 2021. "Evaluation as a social practice: Disenchantment, rationalities and ethics," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    13. Ingo Vogelsang, 2012. "Incentive Regulation, Investments and Technological Change," Chapters, in: Gerald R. Faulhaber & Gary Madden & Jeffrey Petchey (ed.), Regulation and the Performance of Communication and Information Networks, chapter 4, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    14. T.P. Rama Rao, 2010. "E-Commerce and Digital Divide: Impact on Consumers," Working Papers id:3270, eSocialSciences.
    15. Junfu Zhang, 2011. "The advantage of experienced start-up founders in venture capital acquisition: evidence from serial entrepreneurs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 187-208, February.
    16. Carpenter, Craig Wesley & Loveridge, Scott, 2021. "Can Latinx Entrepreneurship Help Rural America?," Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 36(4), October.
    17. María Teresa de la Garza Carranza & Carolyn P. Egri, 2010. "Managerial Cultural Intelligence and Small Business in Canada," management revue - Socio-Economic Studies, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 21(3), pages 353-371.
    18. Roberto Burguet & R. McAfee, 2009. "License prices for financially constrained firms," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 178-198, October.
    19. Hisham J. Bardesi, 2016. "The Impact Of Fdi On Growth Of Saudi Economy: An Empirical Evaluation Of Manufacturing Sector," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 4(3), pages 1-13.
    20. Nicola Gennaioli & Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez-de-Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2013. "Human Capital and Regional Development," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 128(1), pages 105-164.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mth:jpag88:v:10:y:2020:i:3:p:262-287. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Technical Support Office (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/jpag .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.