The Importance of Leadership and Communication in BPM Projects

Introduction

The world is highly dynamic in nature. In business, communication, industries or any other aspect of the human life, change is the only constant thing. For businesses, this means a lot. Basically, a change in a significant non-commerce aspect will eventually necessitate a change in the commercial sector itself so as to accommodate the non-commerce change. For example, with the introduction and expansion of the internet, business was no longer as usual. Over time, the internet led to the introduction and use of online marketing methods. BPM or Business Performance Management is a management approach in a business aimed at fulfilling the customers’ needs by aligning various business practices to meet his goal. In general BPM brings drastic changes into a business premises in an attempt to satisfy the customer. BPM involves integration of technology, innovation and flexibility into various business processes.

Although BPM has been lauded as one of the most effective change tools in a business, most companies fail in their attempt of implementing it into their businesses. Poor leadership and poor communication flow are key players in the failure. This article, therefore, explores the roles played by communication and leadership in effecting BPM and sustaining its implementation and outcomes. It also outlines the various crucial roles they play in the successful integration of BPM into a business’s policies. BPM encourages efficiency and innovation in an organization.

Importance of Leadership

“Leadership is an effort to impact the actions of followers through the communication course and toward the attainment of specific targets.” Donnelly, J., Ivancevich, J. M. & Gibson, J.L. (1985, p.362.) Leadership is a crucial and indispensable aspect that should not lack in an organization. A leader should be able to communicate effectively with employees and compel them to do particular things so as to achieve specific business goals. An effective leader has integrity and must be trusted by followers. He/she must be dedicated and be willing to spend energy and time to achieve the goals set by the company. The leader should also be open to new ideas. They should use reliable judgment to judge ideas and learn to accept new ideas. A leader will help to strike a balance between change for progress and the need to consolidate and stabilize. David (2011, p.119-127)

In BPM projects, quality and credible leadership is extremely crucial for the whole process to succeed. A leader has to bear the responsibility for creating a compelling case for change and present the case to the employees. The leader explains the reasons why modification is necessary and the benefits of the proposed new processes.

Another importance of leadership in BPM projects is controlling and directing the change over process to Business Performance Management. BPM is a powerful and intensive project that involves exceedingly many details. This is especially so in a big company. All the details and aspects ought to be taken into consideration before the project starts. An early dive into the project could see it fail before it even starts. A leader should introduce a methodic and systematic way of implementing the changes. (Andrew 2012)

Another responsibility of business leadership is steering the business away from pitfalls during the change process. This can be mostly achieved by ensuring that the BPM project is flexible. Not all methods in BPM will work in a certain business environment. A leader should be ready to change a specified method and process if they lead to danger.

Finally, the business leadership has the mandate of sustaining and maintaining the gains made during the BPM project. Many companies find themselves in a difficult situation later when they have to apply BPM to solve the exact problem the company had encountered a few years ago. Improvement sustenance is therefore particularly critical in ensuring the continued growth and performance of a business.

Importance of Communication

Basically, communication is a significant part of the foundation of a BPM project. Without good communication flows and channels a BPM project will simply collapse and cost the company a lot of resources.

One of the importances of communication is in appealing to the business employees, and other key stakeholders, to take part in the BPM project. For a BPM project to succeed, a lot of support from every player in the business is required. Good communication will appeal to these stakeholders and ensure their support. Effective communication is also beneficial in explaining the aspects of the project to every stakeholder. This ensures organization and management of the whole process. Poor communication would lead to confusion and disarray, dooming the whole project. Furthermore, communication keeps everyone updated on the progress of the project. If the project is progressing favorably, then the stakeholders will have their disposition increased. Negative progress will lead to harder work so as to achieve the desired goals.

In general, communication ensures that every employee and stakeholders are aware of their roles and responsibility in achieving the desired goals and results.  At the same time, it reduces the amount of internal politics which are detrimental to a Business Performance Management project. Michel (2002, p.23-25)

Conclusion

Good leadership and efficient communication make up the foundation and pillars of BPM projects. Lack of both aspects leads to failure of the project. In general, the management (leadership) of the business or company is responsible for ensuring good communication flows and channels at the same time providing credible and effective leadership.

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