Business Process Management (BPM) is a Team Sport: Play it to Win! (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

There are a lot of BIG (and important) ideas in this little book. -- Geary Rummler, PhD, Founder and Chairman, The Performance Design Lab, Coauthor of Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart

This book is a prerequisite read for executives searching for ways to create an environment that enables sustained competitive advantage. -- Pat Paladino, Vice President, Canada Life

This book is required reading for everyone in a process-managed enterprise. -- Robert Boulet, Former President and CEO, GE Capital IT Solutions Canada

Product Description

This book is best suited to those business leaders who have a burning desire to win. It's a book with a compelling message about the resurgence of business process thinking for competitive advantage. In an easy-to-read format, the book outlines why and how thoughtful CEO’s and leadership teams can manage enterprise business processes as the means to transform their good companies into great ones.

Spanyi's book is a must read for business leaders searching for ways to manage the business in a more integrated manner by applying 21st century BPM techniques, thinking and technologies. Business process thinking is the prerequisite for executives to take advantage of powerful new BPM technologies. The book is, however, less about tools, templates and technologies and more about the set of values, beliefs and business practices needed to navigate through challenging economic times. Indeed, that’s why Spanyi says BPM is a team sport--Play it to Win! And to win, leaders must manage the cross-functional teams throughout the organization who must work collaboratively to create enduring value for customers and shareholders.

Much of what has been written on BPM is mechanistic and technical. Several of the works are long and tough to digest, and the links to strategy, organization design, people issues and technology are lost in the details. In a fast-paced and engaging manner, Spanyi describes how BPM can provide a robust framework enabling an organization to achieve strategic focus, organizational alignment and operating discipline.

Spanyi proposes that organizations need to consciously work on transforming the mental models of the executive team from the traditional functional paradigm to a customer-driven model that is based on business process thinking. The book provides insight into why change initiatives like reengineering, continuous improvement and Six Sigma, when implemented piecemeal, are not nearly enough to achieve dominance in today's turbulent business environment. BPM is needed to provide the context for both change initiatives and the application of emerging technology, so that change programs can be deeply and fully integrated across the organization.

The book is written such that the initial reading can be done in less than the time it takes to fly from Dallas to Boston or from Toronto to Miami. A quick read can acquaint the reader with the essential concepts. Readers can then consume the book more carefully a second time, and combine its reading assignments to gain a more complete background and understanding of this vital subject (all the readings can be acquired through the book’s Web site).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Anclote Press Imprint of Meghan-Kiffer Press (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929652029
• ISBN-13: 978-0929652023
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #621,325 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Business Process Management, October 13, 2004

By	Jack Bauer (MN) - See all my reviews

This is a book that explains Business Process Management in business terms. The book can be introduced to someone with little or no background of BPM concepts. I have been struggling on how to package BPM to help our organization grow. Someone has finally put together a nicely written, short book that can be completed in a few hours on the first read. I would suggest reading this book two or three times and Business Process Management the Third Wave before presenting this to your organization/company. The move from functionally based stovepipe organizations, departments, applications and systems is in the very near future. I would consider this book to be the cliff notes or readers digest version of Business Process Management the Third Wave written by Howard Smith and Peter Fingar (A MUST FOR ANYONE SERIOUS ABOUT BPM).

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best book on Senior Management's role in Process Change, October 14, 2005

By	Steve Jones "SteveJ" (Bordeaux, France (mostly!)) - See all my reviews

(similar to my review on amazon.co.uk)
A must read. Recommended for anyone into process. During my recent training I have read over 30 books - this one gets my top vote. I recommend it to my colleagues - is it available in other languages including French?

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book You can Use!, July 22, 2003

By	Jeanne Blanchard (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

We know that to be successful, our organizations have to become "customer driven" and that means improving our business processes across the enterprise. But business processes are boring, and so are most business books. This one is an exception.
Mr. Spanyi makes a strong case that if people collaborate better, the organization can reach its goals - despite the tough economy.
Want to attain that "shared thinking" so necessary in cross-functional teams? This book provides real advice that any business person can use. Best of all, its clear and concise. So, if you are faced with improving the performance of your organization, I highly recommend this book.