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BPM can enable positive cultural change in businesses

Tara Charles
March 13, 2013

Cultural change can be central to business process innovation, especially in organizations where long-held management strategies and operational schemes need to shift in light of changing conditions. Business process management software can go a long way toward integrating technology and processes so organizational leaders can focus on creating the cultural changes needed to help a company grow.

Considering the importance of cultural change

A recent Jones Lang LaSalle study revealed that cultural shifts are among the most important things that CEOs must navigate.Susan Lim, a member of the Jones Lang LaSalle global workplace strategy board with responsibility for the Asia Pacific region, explained that there are a lot of discussions about how to improve workplace functions to support business growth. Creating cultural change is among the best ways to accomplish this because it can drive business performance in unexpected ways.

Jones Lang LaSalle explained that positive cultural change can contribute to three key goals in business settings. The first is success that stems from a shared vision. When a CEO and other corporate leaders establish a clear vision for where the company needs to go, cultural change can serve as a way to incorporate those ideas across the entire company landscape. The study also indicated that the shared communities created by this type of cultural shift can improve productivity and create an environment in which employees are engaged.

Bernice Boucher, a member of the Jones Lang LaSalle global workplace strategy board with responsibility for the Americas explained that engaged employees often get the job done much more effectively.

"If workplaces are dull, monotonous and uninspiring, people won't want to come to the office, and consequently may balk at policies that require face time," said Boucher. "It's tough to have constructive conflict through virtual means only. An investment in shaping culture through workplaces that are truly destinations can protect one of the most valuable assets of any organization: its cultural identity and sense of community."

Using BPM for meaningful cultural growth

BPM solutions give businesses the ability to align their technology and operations into a seamless process ecosystem. This creates an environment in which interweaving culture, processes and IT functionality can all be incorporated into a single overarching strategy that fuels company growth. As a result, BPM is able to create value by providing the glue that holds various ideas, processes and data systems together to ensure smooth operations.