Business process management and supply chain

Effects on performance and competitiveness

Objective

This study aims to examine the interrelationships among business process management (BPM), supply
chain collaboration (SCC), collaborative advantage and organizational performance.

BPM has been explained by various authors [16, 17]. According to Lindsay et al. [18], BPM strives to
better understand the key mechanisms of a business to improve and in some cases to radically change the
business performance by identifying opportunities for new business, outsourcing, improving business
efficiency and using technology within different areas of the business to support business processes

Methodology

This study employed the case study approach as a follow-up to the large-scale survey [49, 50] to gain a
deeper understanding of the empirical results. Regarding the case study selection, a multiple case design
was adopted to further elaborate on the quantitative findings. This design is derived from diverse types of
conditions and aims to have sub-groups of cases covering each type [49]. The case selection process was
based on the criteria of size and industry: one medium- and one large-sized firm from the automotive and
electronics industries.

Harzing’s (23 July 2014) “Publish or Perish”. These four elements are strategic
alignment, IT, process orientation and improvement and people
involvement. Strategic alignment refers to long-term goals,

Sample information:
This work could be expanded by adopting a supplementary dyadic or extended supply chain (SC)
approach and could also consider contextual factors, which were outside of the scope of this study.

Technical Used:
The BPM approach has a positive impact on organizational performance, which is essential for
collaborative activities between a firm and its SC partners. Further, effective BPM and SCC practices lead
to enhanced performance and collaborative benefits. Practitioners should be better able to define and
measure specific actions relating to their BPM and SCC practices.

SCC emphasizes external collaboration, and this incorporates four main attributes, namely information
sharing and communication, joint activities, sharing common goals and incentive alignment. Effective
internal development and working collaboratively with SC partners should result in superior performance,
at both firm and SC levels.

Firms that practice BPM and also collaborate with SC partners develop collaborative advantage, which cannot be
achieved when they work individually. Collaborative advantage, in turn, leads to improved internal
capabilities and organizational performance. Therefore, the presence of a virtuous cycle is suggested.
The link between BPM and SCC
From our investigation, BPM practices help various collaborative activities, which can be divided into
four types: information sharing and communication, joint activities, sharing common goals and sharing
costs, risks and benefits. The analysis provided evidence of the importance of information sharing and
communication within a firm and with SC partners.

Findings
This study highlights the role of intra- and inter-organizational practices and clearly demonstrates the
joint role and impact of BPM and SCC, respectively. The results provide empirical evidence that BPM
improves both organizational performance and collaborative activities. Also, SCC and collaborative
advantage can have indirect positive impacts on organizational performance.
It has been established that an intra-organizational focus (BPM) is essential for inter-organizational
activities (SCC) in terms of information sharing and communication, joint activities, sharing common
goals and sharing costs, risks and benefits. A firm and its SC partners need to develop and grow together
and work to enhance their mutual benefits.

Conclusion
This paper provides a deeper understanding of the interrelationships between BPM, SCC, collaborative
advantage and organizational performance. Four case studies were selected to participate in semi-
structured interviews to offer a greater understanding about the relationships under study. Therefore, the
reasons behind the results of the relationships between BPM, SCC, collaborative advantage and
organizational performance are explained.