Information Technology's Role in Business Process Management
This paper examines the role of information technology (IT) in Business Process Management (BPM), arguing that while IT is an integral component of any BPM improvement program, its integration is not without significant challenges. The paper outlines several disadvantages of IT within BPM contexts, including cultural resistance from traditionally siloed departments, the financial burden of constant technological upgrades, a lack of technical literacy among top management, and the difficulty of aligning IT goals with broader organizational objectives. Drawing on foundational BPM literature, the paper concludes that successful integration requires both operational managers and IT managers to develop cross-functional competencies and embrace a process-oriented rather than function-oriented organizational philosophy.
- Introduction: IT as a Core Component of BPM: IT's essential but challenging role in BPM
- Cultural and Structural Barriers to IT Integration: Siloed departments resist process-oriented change
- Costs and Standardization Challenges: Constant IT changes raise costs and complicate standards
- Management Competency and Collaboration: Managers lack technical knowledge for BPM collaboration
- Aligning IT and Business Environments: IT and business goals are often misaligned
- Conclusion: Moving Toward a Process-Oriented Mindset: Integration demands cross-functional adaptation by all managers
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper maintains a consistent analytical lens, framing each point specifically around the disadvantages of IT within BPM rather than drifting into a general overview.
- It builds its argument progressively — from structural issues (departmental silos) to financial costs, then to human factors (management literacy), and finally to strategic alignment — creating a logical flow.
- Citations from BPMI (2004) and Linden (1993) anchor the argument in recognized BPM literature, lending credibility to a relatively concise paper.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of problem-framing through categorization: rather than presenting a broad survey, it isolates specific disadvantages one by one and explains the organizational mechanism behind each. This approach — identifying a challenge, explaining its cause, and gesturing toward its remedy — is a useful structure for short analytical essays in business and management studies.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by establishing IT's importance to BPM, then pivots immediately to its central concern: the disadvantages of that relationship. Subsequent paragraphs each address a discrete challenge — cultural resistance, ongoing costs, lack of standardization, management know-how gaps, and goal misalignment. The conclusion synthesizes these threads, calling for cross-functional adaptation by both operational and IT managers. The structure is linear and paragraph-driven, suitable for an undergraduate-level business essay.
Introduction: IT as a Core Component of BPM
Information technology is considered an integral part of a Business Process Management (BPM) improvement program. For BPM to be successful, it must embrace standards that complement the overall organizational structure and the standards within each department, including the information technology department. However, the utilization of information technology as an essential component of business process management can result in negative outcomes. Several disadvantages of information technology in BPM are discussed below.
Cultural and Structural Barriers to IT Integration
It is critical that standards are developed for BPM to function effectively. BPM by nature requires that an organization operate in a process-oriented manner rather than in a functional manner. Traditionally, most organizations have been more compartmentalized or hierarchical in nature, operating department by department. Because of this, many information technology departments are accustomed to working as independent units rather than as part of an overall process system. A change in culture and philosophy will need to occur if information technology is to successfully integrate its processes with those of the organization as a whole.
References
BPMI. (2004). Business process management. Retrieved from
Linden, R. (1993). Business process reengineering: Newest fad or revolution in government. Public Management, 75(11), 9.
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