IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wop/mitccs/208.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Useful Descriptions of Organizational Processes: Collecting Data for the Process Handbook

Author

Listed:
  • Brian T. Pentland
  • Charles S. Osborn
  • George Wyner
  • Fred Luconi

Abstract

This paper describes a data collection methodology for business process analysis. Unlike static objects, business processes are semi-repetitive sequences of events that are often widely distributed in time and space, with ambiguous boundaries. To redesign or even just describe a business process requires an approach that is sensitive to these aspects of the phenomena. The method described here is intended to generate semi-formal process representations suitable for inclusion in a "handbook" of organizational processes. Using basic techniques of ethnographic interviewing and observation, the method helps users map decomposition, specialization, and dependency relationships at an intermediate level of abstraction meaningful to participants. By connecting new process descriptions to an existing taxonomy of similar descriptions in the Handbook, this method helps build a common vocabulary for process description and analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Brian T. Pentland & Charles S. Osborn & George Wyner & Fred Luconi, 1999. "Useful Descriptions of Organizational Processes: Collecting Data for the Process Handbook," Working Paper Series 208, MIT Center for Coordination Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:wop:mitccs:208
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://ccs.mit.edu/papers/pdf/wp208.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Thomas W. Malone & Kevin Crowston & Jintae Lee & Brian Pentland & Chrysanthos Dellarocas & George Wyner & John Quimby & Charles S. Osborn & Abraham Bernstein & George Herman & Mark Klein & Elissa O'Do, 1999. "Tools for Inventing Organizations: Toward a Handbook of Organizational Processes," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(3), pages 425-443, March.
    2. Hammer, Michael & Champy, James, 1993. "Reengineering the corporation: A manifesto for business revolution," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 90-91.
    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. Toppen, R. & Smits, M.T. & Ribbers, P.M.A., 1998. "Improving process performance through market network design : A study of the impact of electronic markets in the financial securities sector," Other publications TiSEM c3c8d2ea-7727-475e-83cf-d, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    2. Byrd, T. A. & Marshall, T. E., 1997. "Relating information technology investment to organizational performance: a causal model analysis," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 43-56, February.
    3. Ogulin, R. & Selen, W. & Ashayeri, J., 2010. "Determinants of Informal Coordination in Networked Supply Chains," Discussion Paper 2010-133, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    4. Félicia Saïah & Diego Vega & Harwin de Vries & Joakim Kembro, 2023. "Process modularity, supply chain responsiveness, and moderators: The Médecins Sans Frontières response to the Covid‐19 pandemic," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(5), pages 1490-1511, May.
    5. V.K. Gupta, 2016. "Strategic framework for managing forces of continuity and change in innovation and risk management in service sector: a study of service industry in India," International Journal of Services and Operations Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 23(1), pages 1-17.
    6. Beth A. Bechky, 2006. "Gaffers, Gofers, and Grips: Role-Based Coordination in Temporary Organizations," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(1), pages 3-21, February.
    7. Douglas Dean & Richard Orwig & Douglas Vogel, 2000. "Facilitation Methods for Collaborative Modeling Tools," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 109-128, March.
    8. Henri Barki & Alain Pinsonneault, 2005. "A Model of Organizational Integration, Implementation Effort, and Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 16(2), pages 165-179, April.
    9. Harry Hummels & Patrick Nullens, 2022. "‘Other-wise’ Organizing. A Levinasian Approach to Agape in Work and Business Organisations," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 7(2), pages 211-232, October.
    10. Magdalena LUCA (DEDIU), 2014. "Business Process Reengineering," Risk in Contemporary Economy, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, pages 233-236.
    11. Tina George Karippacheril & Soonhee Kim & Robert P. Jr. Beschel & Changyong Choi, 2016. "Bringing Government into the 21st Century," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 24579.
    12. Stephan Kudyba, 2006. "Enhancing Organisational Information Flow And Knowledge Creation In Re-Engineering Supply Chain Systems: An Analysis Of The U.S. Automotive Parts And Supplies Model," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(02), pages 163-173.
    13. Nurmi, Raimo, 1998. "Knowledge-intensive firms," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 26-32.
    14. Csaba Deák, 2005. "Change by Successful Projects - IT and Change Projects in Hungary," Theory Methodology Practice (TMP), Faculty of Economics, University of Miskolc, vol. 3(01), pages 17-22.
    15. Koichi Terai & Masahiko Sawai & Naoki Sugiura & Noriaki Izumi & Takahira Yamaguchi, 2002. "Business process semi‐automation based on business model management," Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(4), pages 215-234, October.
    16. Daniele Binci, 2013. "L?equilibrio organizzativo attraverso il clima. L?evidenza empirica di un ente locale," ECONOMIA E DIRITTO DEL TERZIARIO, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 65-97.
    17. Vansina, L.S. & Taillieu, T.C.B., 1994. "Business process reengineering or socio-technical system design in new clothes?," WORC Paper 94.09.064/3, Tilburg University, Work and Organization Research Centre.
    18. Stephen Guisinger, 2001. "From OLI to OLMA: Incorporating Higher Levels of Environmental and Structural Complexity into the Eclectic Paradigm," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 257-272.
    19. Rajat Roy & Justine Brown & Chris Gaze, 2003. "Re-engineering the construction process in the speculative house-building sector," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 137-146.
    20. Awolusi & Olawumi Dele & Akeke & Niyi Isreal & Akinruwa & Temitope Emmanuel, 2014. "Modeling Business Process Re-Engineering and Organizational Performance in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry," International Journal of Management Sciences, Research Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 3(5), pages 336-350.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:wop:mitccs:208. 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: Thomas Krichel (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://ccs.mit.edu/wpmenu.html .

    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.