When we are confronted with this question, “Does BPM implementation involve a cultural change in our organization?”, we tend to answer affirmatively, because BPM means a change of perspective in how company processes are working.
But if we analyze closer the two syntagms, BPM and Organizational Culture, we remember the classical “Chicken or Egg” dilemma ("which came first, the chicken or the egg?").

The organizational culture was defined (Hill and Jones, 2001) as “a certain sum of values and norms that are shared by individuals and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with the organizational environment.”
They state also: “The organizational values are beliefs and ideas about the type of goals and how appropriate they should achieve. The values of the organization develop standards, guidelines and expectations that determine an appropriate behaviour of the employees in particular situations and control the behaviour of organizational members to one another“.

Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach to improving an organization's business processes.

My presumption, in terms of our dilemma, is that the Organizational Culture is the Chicken, and BPM is the Egg.  Because:

Intr-o analogie cu sfarsitul de secol XIX, un timp al framantarilor sociale si culturale ce caracteriza o societate romaneasca in formare, se poate aprecia cu usurinta similitudinea cu contemporanul. Elita literara a acelei vremi, in persoana Junimistilor, incerca sa scoata in evidenta un adevar izbitor: copierea brutala, fortata a formelor de organizare occidentala fara o incercare prealabila de raliere la valorile culturale romanesti, fara incercarea de adaptare la un spatiu care prin insasi natura lui nu prezenta fondul necesar sustinerii lor.

Articolul de fata isi propune sa construiasca o paralela intre situatia socio-culturala a unei societati supusa adaptarii  si un aspect contemporan, acela al mediului de afaceri. Acesta, in prezent, se gaseste in situatia infama a unei lipse structurale de fond care sa ii permita adaptarea la un context in permanenta schimbare. Lipseste o metodologie constanta in abordare, pe scheletul careia sa apara ca si firesti orice fel de schimbari de ordin organizatoric, procedural, la nivel de proces, la nivel de integrare eficienta de servicii, lista putand continua pe masura ce atingem elemente de detaliu.

Aici isi face loc un concept, un “constructor de fond” la nivel de business, care permite acel pas firesc catre o dezvoltare constructiva , nu numai la nivel de aparente. Conceptul poarta numele de Business Process Management (Managementul Proceselor Afacerii).  Pentru a redare precisa voi folosi termenul de “business” data fiind si uzanta sa in cadrul terminologiei conceptuale, motiv care sper sa justifice indeajuns gestul pe care multi il pot cataloga drept un “import brutal”.

What is Business Process Modeling?
A business process describes how a business pursues its objectives. This can be done gradually by adding more and more information at different levels:

• Process map which is a simple flowchart of the activities
• Process description which extends the process map with additional information, but not enough to fully define actual performance
• Process model which is a full description of a process that allows it to be analyzed, simulated or executed

Well, BPMN supports all of these levels.
But what is BPMN and how did it start?

When you hear for the first time about BPM, it’s possible to consider it just an acronym - like most in the technology area. After identifying the complete name of this acronym, Business Process Management, you may start to be curious.

This happened in my case, when my collaborator Anton started to explain to me, in a friendly and non-technical manner, this concept and how it is actually implemented in the Enterprise Concept projects.

According to Wikipedia, “Business process management (BPM) is a management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It is a holistic management approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology.”

You might be also familiar with Enterprise Concept’s definition: “Business process management (BPM) is a systematic approach to improving an organization's business processes. BPM activities seek to make business processes more effective, more efficient, and more capable of adapting to an ever-changing environment. BPM is a subset of infrastructure management, the administrative area of concern dealing with maintenance and optimization of an organization's equipment and core operations.”

Let’s say that now we have a first impression about BPM, and we may start consider the value of this concept important because it provides three important benefits: efficiency, effectiveness and agility, to  every company.

For the moment, while defining and analyzing the benefits of BPM, we are positioned in the present. But what about the past and the future of this concept?

Marcus Aurelius thought about the importance of the past in creating the future:”Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”

So let’s hear the BPM voices from the past!