Business process management can give organizations the strategic direction they need to streamline operations and create value. However, it can also be executed poorly and alienate employees. Working with the right BPM partner and supporting management goals with quality BPM software can go a long way toward helping companies avoid the negative side of BPM. Just as importantly, businesses also have to get their workers to buy into any new strategies. There are a few ways to secure employee support.
Understand that change is difficult
Being sensitive to what change means to employees is a necessary component of transitioning successfully to a better process environment. Sometimes it seems like people will reject change just because it is change, but that is not always the case. Manypeople who reject changedo so because they are afraid it will adversely impact their standing with an organization, worried they will not be able to maintain their usual productivity, concerned it will just mean more work for them or they could already be feeling burnt out and not ready to take on something new.
Regardless of why change is difficult for employees, the solution is the same - show them how the change will help them. Do not just make it a top-down mandate:understand that shifting operations is challenging and take the time to deal with any concerns.
Get champions
Discussions about champions to fuel a project are common management speak, andthey can be extremely valuable in BPM strategies. Having a few workers who have used the solution and understand that it really does help can go back to their colleagues and make meaningful progress on getting people excited about changing their processes for the better. Generally speaking, champions have to come out of a variety of departments and from varied work levels in the organization. Without such diversity, the chances of workers seeing BPM as a mandate, not an opportunity, could increase.
Take advantage of software
BPM principles can drive value on their own, but BPM software gives end users the interface and applications they need to adjust process innovation to their needs. BPM solutions can provide the employee enablement functionality that can take a basic BPM plan and elevate it into an integral part of corporate operations.
