How to innovate in Less-structured Business Procesess (LSBP)
Dear Manager,

The purpose of this tool is to facilitate the brainstorming exercise in order to gain the capability to innovate in LSBP.
The tool helps managers reflect on what can be adjusted and changed in current practices to align them more effectively
with the needs of business processes. We define this Process Innovation Capability (PIC) in four interrelated phases:

AS-IS (current) situation
TO-BE (new) situation
Phase 1
User screening for relevant
  • PIC in LSBP readiness assessment
  • Context factors
Phase 2

User reflection

  • Manager practice quick scan
  • Best practises list
Phase 3

User brainstorm

  • TO-BE for PIC in LSBP
  • Report summary
Phase 4

GAP analysis

  • GAP analysis

General phase explanation

  • Phase 1 and Phase 2 serve an informative character, providing context for Process Innovation Capability (PIC) in LSBP exercise.
  • The most important phase is Phase 3, where organization look for improvement (TO-BE) from its current capability.
  • Phase 4 addresses practical issues related to GAP analysis of PIC in LSBP.

What to do:

Two options are possible: (1) Users (C-level or manager) can complete this exercise individually if s/he think there is no need to involve other managers. In this case, s/he will just contemplate the phases by themselves. (2) C-level managers and other managers appoint a meeting, and prepare in advance for the AS-IS situation analysis phases. They may also invite other relevant stakeholders, i.e., HR manager, IT manager, Purchasing manager, Supply Chain manager, etc.

Impact:

It is important to note that implementing this PIC in LSBP exercise has a potential impact on employee behavior and organization performance. Therefore, managers should be careful and consider this potential impact while making choices.

Limitation:

This tool is not prescriptive and provides the platform with all the necessary information to brainstorm the current situation (AS-IS) and make a plan for desired situation (TO-BE). It offers managers the flexibility to choose and combine the capabilities to be inserted into existing practices. In this regard, the tool is not meant to replace the existing systems but to provide inspiration on the types of process-related components that can be added to contribute to the success of PIC in LSBP.