Implementation of business process re engineering (BPR): The case of gemstone dealers in Nairobi

Abstract

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) is one of the arms of strategic management which is used to ensure that a business remains competitive in it's industry. It plays a key role in efficiently allocating and utilizing resources at the disposal of the management of an organization. The purpose of the study was to find out the extent to which the conditions necessary for implementation of BPR were adhered to by the Kenyan companies dealing in Gemstones in Nairobi. It was expected that BPR would improve profitability for the firms which adopted it, but the actual results were contrary; the firms continued to lose market shares. Primary data was used in the study and was collected by the user; descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data, and graphical presentation of the aspects of BPR was done. The results indicated that a big percentage of the firms that applied BPR did so without factoring in the conditions necessary for BPR implementation. The findings of the study revealed that companies that have implemented BPR do not appear to be doing any better than they were before the change. The reasons for failure according to the study can be attributed to poor BPR leadership, poor style or system of implementation and un-preparedness for change. In most of the firms, the executive team was non compliant and derailed the entire program by withholding resources, or failing to meet commitments and obligations. It was also revealed that some firms lacked a dedicated team of talented, imaginative people who' are unafraid to break rules, who can work together in a multifunctional and multidisciplinary manner and who put customer needs above organizational turf battles. It is recommended that urgent action be taken by the chief executives of the firms that applied BPR the wrong way.