Cultural Considerations
for BPM and other
Methodologies
Hany Atchan
Ph.D., PMP
November 29th, 2011
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Cultural Considerations for BPM
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What is Culture
• Organizational culture is “the pattern of shared basic assumptions invented, discovered, or developed by a given group as it learns to cope
with its problems of external adaptation and internal integration - that has
worked well enough to be considered valid and therefore to be taught to
new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to
those problems”.
– Schein, E. (1985). Organizational Culture and Leadership. San Francisco, CA, Jossey Bass.
• It is the set of values, symbols, interpretations, beliefs, and perspectives
that distinguish one group of people from another in modernized
societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human
societies.
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What is Culture
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Values, perspectives, beliefs, and symbols
2
Thinking/behavioral patterns & strategies
3
Formed by responding and adapting
4
They worked and are considered valid
5
Taught & reinforced
Cultural Considerations for BPM
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How Do Cultures Form?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Uniqueness
Learning
Unlearning
Re-learning
Folklore and history
Founders impact
Differences among
cultures
• Macro vs. Micro
cultures
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What Motivates People
Hierarchy
of Needs
Abraham
Maslow,
d. 1970
Distance
from Power
Short-term
vs. long-term
orientation
Individualism vs.
collectivism
Geert
Hofstede’s
5-D
Cultural
Model
http://www.geerthofstede.com
Uncertainty
avoidance
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Masculinity vs.
femininity
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Distance
from Power
Short-term
vs. long-term
orientation
Individualism vs.
collectivism
Geert
Hofstede’s
5-D
Cultural
Model
Uncertainty
vs.
Group
cohesiveness, Masculinity
inavoidance
femininity
group membership, and
unquestioning loyalty in
exchange for protection.
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Distance
from Power
Short-term
vs. long-term
Accept
orientation
Individualism vs.
(from
collectivism
inequality
below) in power distribution;
Acceptance of inequality
translates into desire for
Uncertainty
Masculinity vs.
control
in
one’s
personal
life
avoidance
femininity
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Cultural Considerations for BPM
Geert
Hofstede’s
5-D
Cultural
Model
8
Distance
Feminine cultures
tend to
from Power
be more submissive.
Masculine cultures are
Short-term
Individualism vs.
vs.
long-term
assertive and driven.
collectivism
orientation
Uncertainty
avoidance
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Geert
Hofstede’s
5-D
Cultural
Model
Masculinity vs.
femininity
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Short-term
vs. long-term
orientation
Uncertainty
avoidance
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Geert
Distance
Degree of comfort in Hofstede’s
from Power
unstructured situations.
5-D
Risk-averse, does not
Cultural
Individualism
accept
change,vs.and
Model
collectivism
thrives on repeatability.
Masculinity vs.
femininity
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Short-term
vs. long-term
orientation
Uncertainty
avoidance
Geert
Distance
Hofstede’s
from Power
5-D
Cultural
Individualism vs.
Model
Respectcollectivism
for truth and
perseverance vs.
tradition, social
obligation, and “faceMasculinity vs.
saving”.
(China, Taiwan, &
femininity
Japan have largest LT score)
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Comparing
Macro
Cultures
http://www.geerthofstede.com
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Characteristics
of Cultural Groups
Conforming
• Motivated by external forces
• Believes in collective effort
• Disciplined in following
Central C&C as long as
perception of fairness
• Democracy works for a time
• BPM-like methodologies
most effective
• Unquestioned obedience to
Central C&C
• Pride in group achievement
• Democracy is wrong
Rebellious
• Willing to live with
inconsistencies
• Fairness is relative
• Very sensitive to distance
from power
• Democracy is a must!
• Very few standards and
guidelines are acceptable
• High Cohesiveness/Social
influence
• Democracy may be used to
control them but very risky!
Individualistic
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Cultural Considerations for BPM
Collectivist
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What is BPM?
It Depends
whom you
ask!
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• A process of managing your
business processes
• A management discipline.
• A technology or set of
technologies
• A rapid application
development framework
• BPM vs. BPI vs. BAP
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What is
BPM?
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What is BPM?
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ABPMP: An ongoing
organizational commitment
to meeting the
organization’s performance
goals by managing its
processes. It involves a
continuous, feedback loop
to ensure the organization’s
business processes are
aligned to its strategy and
performing to expectations.
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• Communication
Business
• Sequencing
Process
• Repeatability/Consistency
Management
Main Purposes
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• Enabling Change&
Transformation
• BPM is primarily “sold” as a
catalyst for Organizational
Improvements, with the
specific goals of increasing
efficiency and profitability.
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Discrete Task
Definition
Background and
Assumptions
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• Scientific management
• Efficiency movement (Fredrick
Taylor, d. 1915)
• Automation of tasks
• Cultural Assumptions
– Ability to select from a large pool
of workers
– Trainable workforce
– Availability of HR remedies
– Workers are not motivated by
internal factors and therefore
management needs to use external
motivators (the carrot & the Stick)
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The Big Gap!
Methodologies such as
BPM are:
Cultures (especially in
service organizations):
Logical
People-driven
Sequential
Emotional
Efficiency-driven (mechanistic)
Experiential, Historical
Assuming!
Evolving
Left-brained
Right-brained
It’s amazing that methodologies
like BPM work at all!
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How to Plant
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Can You Change a Culture?
Understand the folklore
Challenge carefully
Develop a unifying Purpose
Individual Values
Emotion-driven Decisions
Processes and Methodologies
Assess Readiness to Accept
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Consider Organizational Maturity
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Conclusion
No Methodology is culture-neutral!
Know your culture or your
methodology will be stuck in neutral!
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THANK YOU!
hatchan@rosekaysystems.com
www.rosekaysystems.com
Cell 05-30-24 24 20
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