An application of the BPCM model in an e-business driven transformation agenda: Assessing resource implications for a European automotive multinational corporation (MNC)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate e-business driven organisational transformation and its resource implications for a European automotive multinational corporation. The application of Business Process Change Model (BPCM) was used to investigate throughout the five developmental stages of transformation and the associated resource implications in business-to-business (B2B) and extranet applications. Design/methodology/approach – Based on a case study design, B2B and extranet applications were selected. A triangulated research approach was used to capture the resource implications upon transformation, incorporating a participant observation and interviews. Findings – The findings indicate that the resource implications change in a transformation process based on individual e-business applications as well as the developmental stages of BPCM. Throughout the transformation only resource investment remained present in both applications. The change in resource implications and iterations between the BPCM stages in the case of “process redefinition”, “continuous improvement” underline why organisational transformation in similar settings could indicate variances in organisations’ transformation results. Research limitations/implications – The paper offers an insight into the resource implications in an e-business enabled transformation and underpins the importance of using developmental stages to bridge the divide between planning and application. The resource impact has been evaluated within the automotive sector using BPCM, future empirical research is needed to test the BPCM in other industrial e-business enabled transformation settings. Practical implications – Organisations should take a developmental approach to transformation that assesses resources implications. This also raises the need for using models such as the BPCM to fine-tune the transformation effort, through the inclusion of a more interactive iteration between BPCM stages. Originality/value – In this paper, the authors present an analysis of an e-business related, organisational transformation project, including an assessment of its ultimate effectiveness. This is the first case study, which focuses on resource implications solely and utilises the BPCM framework to understand the evolution of transformation effort and its resource implications.