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Unit 6 – Business Process Change Overview

Erica R Williams

GB560 Designing, Improving and Implementing Processes

Professor Jerry Haenisch

January 28, 2014

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Abstract

Change is inevitable. It is going to happen whether it be in a personal or professional

environment. Implementing change is where it gets difficult. Creating a Business Change Plan

can help one develop a plan for change. It is very important that everyone at some points work

toward change and thus helping the process work out successfully. Understanding the processes

can help to create better plans and ultimately businesses. We have learned from the different

processes that organizations can use that companies can benefit from these organizational

changes. Lowe’s is implementing the new recruitment process that will help the company gain

the talent it needs by incorporating more managers to help recruit and train.

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1. The importance of understanding Business Process Change as it relates to your future employment plans.

The importance of understanding Business Process Change as it relates to future

employment plans is essential because it will allow me to be able to make better decisions. I will

be more capable moving forward. By my understanding of the Process Change, I am able to

realize how important it is for an organization to have a well-organized plan that all employees

are with and cooperative with. As I think about my future an what I want to do professionally I

have come to the conclusion that I must my plans as though it is a business and that will allow

me to implement some process changes that one would most likely see in an organization.

Having a vision of my future and what I want to do is vital. Having a vision will lead to a

mission which will then help me focus on and create new strategies that will deliver guidelines

for my goals to be applied and measured for effectiveness. For instance, key performance

indicators can be used and are important in a personal plan just like in a business or professional

plan. The same tools that are used to create business process changes within an organization can

be used for personal and professional growth, thus applying all that I have learned about the

Business Process Change.

Methods and theories such as the Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma and ISO9000/9001 can

be used in order to help me grow personally and professionally. For example, using this methods

and theories can help me to improve my resume and skills. When there is organization and

control most things can be accomplished if I stay focused and work hard. Since I now have a

better understanding of the Business Process Changes, I now feel as though I am better prepared

to move forward in my professional career with more challenging adventures.

2. Is a formal process change necessary for all organizational changes? If so, explain why. If not, explain why not?

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In order to be successful and even competitive in today’s world a formal process change

is necessary. This allows companies the opportunity to find more complex ways of managing

their businesses. Much of the current corporate interest in business process change can be dated

from the business process eeengineering (BPR) movement that began in 1990 (Harmon, 2008).

With advancements in technology including computers and software, organizations have tried to

incorporate these into their systems in order to facilitate the processes. The processes are now

more systematic and the workflow systems have improved the applications.

Most organizations focus is on the customer and ensuring that they are taken care of. If

the customer is taken care of then they will typically come back to that company to spend more.

Dr. Harold S. Resnick created a system to which he explains that it is vital for organizations to

have a vision and a clear understanding of the market in which the company serves. They also

need to fully have an understanding of the desired customer profile. Once these two elements

are defined, the elements in the middle of the diagram is the organizational system. This system

exists for only one purpose - to deliver the power of the organization’s vision to its customers.

Every element needs to be examined and re-designed to make sure that it is "fit for purpose" – to

deliver the vision to customers (Resnick, 2014).

Each business strategy can have different theories and ideas. Some would advocate that a

formal process approaches strategic analysis very systematically. Whereas others would support

less formal processes. A few may argue that the world is changing fast and companies need to

depend on the instincts of their senior executives as well as evolve new positions on the fly in

order to move rapidly (Harmon, 2008). Having a formal process change for organizations work.

There have been many professionals that have been able to experiment and study these systems

as proof. Harvard professor Michael Porter defined and explained the terms competitive

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strategy. Organizations also need to understand and apply the systems and strategies such as the

Balanced Scorecard and Six Sigma along with others to stay in line with other, larger

organizations. The larger organizations have been able to implement these systems into their

business processes and have become successful. Since this has occurred, it should be said that

all organizations need to use a formal process change in their business.

3. Review the Business Process Change document you submitted in Unit 5 and describe in detail whether the

information contained within sufficiently addressed issues related to the suggested change (made in Unit 1).

Business Process Change methods have been around for a while and today many organizations

use them. These processes help companies improve in several ways and they involve different

departments from IT and Human Resources to other managerial duties. At Lowe’s Home

Centers, Inc., the process change conducted was not any different from what other organizations

might use whether they be smaller or larger than Lowe’s. As the company grows, Lowe’s has to

change the way it does business not only for its customers but for its employees and shareholders

as well.

The Business Process Change that was submitted in unit 5 described what needed to be

done to make recruiting talent for the Lowe’s stores better for the employees, customers and the

company. The business change process stated that Lowe’s needed to be able to have managers

other than the Human Resources Manager be responsible for each stores recruitment needs. It is

evident that one person is not able to be the sole recruiter for all positions within a location.

Thus implementing the change that allows the Assistant store managers to go out to competitors

and recruit as well. When a Human Resources Manager posts a job to fill for whichever location

they are working in they are most of the time going in blind and hoping to get qualified

candidates. With not having a full understanding of what is needed they sometimes missed the

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ball on their candidates, which cost the company money in the recruitment process, the hiring

process as well as the training process.

Lowe’s would most likely use the balanced scorecard and some key performance

indicators in order to successfully implement a business process change such as the one

proposed. They can also be open to looking at how other companies may have implemented

such plans in order to be successful. Having the Assistant Store Managers assist with the

recruiting needs will be more beneficial to the company overall and if other companies have

succeeded with this approach then Lowe’s would have more of an advantage from the beginning.

3a. What additional information should be included in your specific change document for the process(es) identified?

Why would those items need to be included? If no additional items or information is necessary explain why your

document, as written, is thorough and complete as a process change plan.

Ultimately, there are several different methods that can be used by an organization in

order to implement a process change. The Business Process Change that Lowe’s is working on

implementing with their new recruitment policy would not need a different process than the ones

identified. The document submitted included all necessary information on how the process

currently runs and how the process would run after the Business Process Change was

implemented. It seems to be a smooth process and other than trial and error, there is not much to

change. Moving forward with the plan submitted would be more beneficial to Lowe’s as a

company and they would be able to go ahead and get started in order to fully have a better

understanding of what they need to do and how to accomplish each step.

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References

Harmon, P. (2008). Business Process Change (2nd ed.) Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann

Publishers/Elsevier.

Resnick, H. (n.d.). Organizational change management process. Retrieved from

http://worksystems.com/services/organizational_change.html