The Fad That Forgot People
Article
This review is on an article by Thomas H. Davenport, and is titled “The Fad That Forgot People”, it was first printed in November 1995. Thomas H. Davenport is the Curtis Mathes Fellowship professor and director of the Information Management Program, at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business in Austin.
The article begins by defining the term “Reengineering”, in reference to incorporating technology and the worker. Reengineering was originally designed to be used by managers that were trying to combine new technology and the worker to create an across the board increase in efficiency and productivity. These were managers that had to deal with real world problems and needed real solutions to assist with solving their problems.
The term “massive layoffs” was never intended to be apart of the reengenerring process according to Mr. Davenport. The Ford Motor Co. was given credit for reducing its accounts payable staff by 75%, but according to this article the emloyees were redistributed within the company not layed off. Consultants of reengineering, Michael Hammer and James Champy, are insistant that layoffs shouldn't be the point of a reengenering effort by management. People and how they can be better equiped by the use of technology should always be at the forefront of a reengineering effort.
This is a quote from Mr.Davenport’s article on the effectivness of the improper use of reengineering,” The 1994 CSC Index "State of Reengineering Report" had the answer: 50% of the companies that participated in the study reported that the most difficult part of reengineering is dealing with fear and anxiety in their organizations; 73% of the companies said that they were using reengineering to eliminate, on average, 21% of the jobs; and, of 99 completed reengineering initiatives, 67% were judged as producing mediocre, marginal, or failed results.”. Mr Davenport states that the reengineering fever has broke here in the U.S. and many consulting
This review is on an article by Thomas H. Davenport, and is titled “The Fad That Forgot People”, it was first printed in November 1995. Thomas H. Davenport is the Curtis Mathes Fellowship professor and director of the Information Management Program, at the University of Texas Graduate School of Business in Austin.
The article begins by defining the term “Reengineering”, in reference to incorporating technology and the worker. Reengineering was originally designed to be used by managers that were trying to combine new technology and the worker to create an across the board increase in efficiency and productivity. These were managers that had to deal with real world problems and needed real solutions to assist with solving their problems.
The term “massive layoffs” was never intended to be apart of the reengenerring process according to Mr. Davenport. The Ford Motor Co. was given credit for reducing its accounts payable staff by 75%, but according to this article the emloyees were redistributed within the company not layed off. Consultants of reengineering, Michael Hammer and James Champy, are insistant that layoffs shouldn't be the point of a reengenering effort by management. People and how they can be better equiped by the use of technology should always be at the forefront of a reengineering effort.
This is a quote from Mr.Davenport’s article on the effectivness of the improper use of reengineering,” The 1994 CSC Index "State of Reengineering Report" had the answer: 50% of the companies that participated in the study reported that the most difficult part of reengineering is dealing with fear and anxiety in their organizations; 73% of the companies said that they were using reengineering to eliminate, on average, 21% of the jobs; and, of 99 completed reengineering initiatives, 67% were judged as producing mediocre, marginal, or failed results.”. Mr Davenport states that the reengineering fever has broke here in the U.S. and many consulting