Process innovation

by Davenport, Thomas H

Process innovation - a revolutionary new approach that fuses information technology and human resource management - can dramatically improve business performance. In the demanding environment of the 1990s, simply formulating strategy is no longer sufficient; it is also essential to design the processes to implement strategy effectively. Built around new technologies and motivated workers, process innovation begins with a commitment to a strategic vision from senior management. Its scope is vast and crosses multiple business functions. Its goals are ambitious - companies embarking on process innovation often seek tenfold improvements in cost, time, or quality. For example, IBM reduced the preparation time for quotes on buying or leasing a computer from seven days to one, while preparing 10 times as many quotes. The Internal Revenue Service collected 33% more from delinquent taxpayers, with only half the staff and one-third the branch offices. One analysis of the New York Stock Exchange