Implications of some of the recent improvement philosophies for the management of the information systems organization

In an uncertain and competitive environment, organizations are forced to search for philosophies to guide performance improvement efforts. The current literature has paid considerable attention to two particular philosophies - business process redesign (BPR) and total quality management (TQM). These two movements emphasize a reconfiguration of an organization's processes to increase performance that ultimately should facilitate the recuperation of the competitive posture of the organization. The literature has treated the same two approaches, however, as substitutes. No attempt has been made to pinpoint the possible synergy between the two improvement philosophies. The thrust of this paper is to present a framework that would help information systems managers understand the conceptual link between BPR and TQM and the joined implications these approaches have for the management of the information systems organization.