Business Process Reengineeringin the Indian Education Context - Essay Example

 Business Process Reengineering Relevance in the Indian Education Context Glossary of Terms JIT Just in Time is now a widely adopted philosophy for focusing on customer value adding activities through eliminating wastes and striving towards continuous improvement. This is a Pull Based system where the material required is pulled in by production and therefore required to be available Just in Time of requirement. This calls for fine tuning of supplies in accordance with the Production Plan which becomes the focal point in manufacturing. In this case the Purchases or ordered according to requirement and suitable suppliers have to be located and organized to work according to lead times demanded by Production. This is suitable where lead times are short; there is stable demand and high repeatability of materials. Kaizen A Japanese management philosophy typically translated as "continuous improvement." Using this concept, employees are given the authority and resources to solve problems to make improvements. In kaizen events, teams of managers, employees and others are brought together to improve an entire process. These process-improvement methods are often introduced into a company in conjunction with a lean manufacturing philosophy TQM A quality management system which looks at quality from the external or customer’s perspective. All items produced must meet or exceed the customer’s expectations. Under TQM, quality is an essential part of every stage of the production process and not merely an inspection at the end. 1.0 Introduction Business Process Reengineering (BPR) has become a subject of avid interest for all business houses especially when they operate in global competitive environment. The concept of overhauling or reengineering the entire process in the quest of competitive edge is founded on the need to cut costs, improve quality and to satisfy the customer. In the service oriented sector like education too BPR should be useful as the objective is to improve both the delivery and acquisition of knowledge. The author is keen to explore the usefulness of BPR in the education sector with particular emphasis on Indian Education as this region is producing a high quantity of low grade students. The objective of this assignment will therefore be to investigate the origin and application of BPR in business and education; to ascertain the success or failure of BPR; to research the literature on the subject and to make recommendations based on BPR for Indian education especially in the primary and secondary stages as these are the foundations of the education pyramid. 2.0 The Indian Education Context In India the primary as well as the higher education system is based on the British model. It is a three-tier degree structure; bachelor, master, and doctorate, and a system of affiliated colleges or universities and has its foundation on the nineteenth century structure of the University of London. The three original founding universities in India established in the mid 19th century were in Madras (Chennai), Bombay (Mumbai) and Calcutta but they total more than 52 as of now. At most universities instruction takes place at affiliated colleges, but the university is responsible for setting of the syllabus, conducting the examinations and awarding degrees. In 2005 there were 342 degree-granting institutions and over 17,000 colleges in India (Department of Secondary and Higher Education). English is used as the language of instruction at many higher education institutions. However at others institutions up to four different languages (English, Hindi and two regional languages) are used, depending on the programme. At the graduate level courses are largely taught in English although degree courses are also conducted in other national languages like Hindi and Urdu. The Ministry of Education has announced figures for academic year 2004/05 that shows an estimated the total enrollment of tertiary-level students at 10,481,000 and faculty at 457,000. This means that over 10 million graduates come out of various institutions across India annually. 3.0 The need for BPR Competitive advantage (Porter 1985) drove many firms in the early fifties of the twentieth century to introduce new methodology in production and inventory management to improve output and quality. During the next four decades it got several names, depending on the focus, Kaizen, TQM and JIT They deal with individual process analysis, activity costing and value added measurements and have been around for five decades (Strassman 1993). The objective was bringing about substantial savings through major or minor changes in the work process as well as the work culture. 3.1 BPR and its Potential Business Process Reengineering as a term was finally coined by Hammer (1990) to describe a strategy that brought about structural changes in the business processes across the whole organisation, and not just the production cycles, to achieve all the objectives of Kaizen, TQM and JIT in a combined fashion. According to Hammer and Champy (1993) this required a radical redesigning of the entire business process to obtain dramatic results in costs, quality, performance and speed. Johnson et al (1994) elaborated and commented on this by stating that BPR took the best from each of the earlier processes that were all tactics for substantial improvements and converted them into a strategy. Later Hammer and Champy (2001) redefined the term and laid down the four building blocks that provide the foundation of BPR. According to them the four operative keywords of the BPR strategy are fundamental, radical, dramatic and process. Elaborating further on each it can be said that an organisation wishing to practice BPR first needs to look at its fundamentals or the basic processes before deciding on changes required and desired. A disengaging look will reveal the shortcomings and will point to requirements that can clean up the system. A decision is then to be taken to radically or substantially change the system despite the disruption level it may cause especially in the human resources division. The intention and objective is to make a dramatic or spectacular yet positive impact on the outcomes and finally the new process evolved out the exercise must create new value for the customer or recipient for the BPR to be called successful. Improvement in quality, cutting costs, increasing output and eventual customer satisfaction is the common aim across all businesses. However the route to this lies in first properly defining the needs of the organisation and assessing its competencies. BPR becomes useful only when there is a clear cut goal, the resources to achieve it and above all a commitment from the management to implement it. This calls for a change, not just of heart but of the entire business process. BPR is very similar to Change Management but is actually much more than that. Change Management desires a change in status quo (Lewin 1958) and so does BPR (Hutton 1996). The dissimilarity begins in the application as in Change Management the emphasis is on change in the attitudes of the workforce (Cummins & Worley 2005) while BPR emphasises on the change in the business processes by breaking previous chains (Johansson et al 1994). Thus BPR can and does bring misery to the workforce as any re-engineering normally bring about downsizing in its wake (Hammer & Champy 2001) as efficiency is normally associated with larger output with lesser resources. In contrast, change is associated with empowering the workforce through training and change management. 3.2 BPR Results Unfortunately the results of applying BPR have not been encouraging. It is indicated that 70% of BPR projects end up in failures (Murphy 1994). In truth the figure may be higher as many cases are not reported for reasons of causing financial distress. This has still not discouraged organisations to continue seeking the BPR route as they understand the value of the concept. However it requires more than just understanding and respect and its implementation is the key to its eventual success. There is plenty of literature to suggest that BPR is indeed a useful, although a painful, method that can be applied to many different kinds of organisations. 4.0 Application of BPR in the Educational sector BPR has been widely applied in manufacturing organisations universally and has been normally associated with the re-engineering or radical changes in manufacturing, marketing and other business processes. However since BPR means to change the work culture, totally change the outlook, bring about radical change that disrupts the status quo, all in pursuit of improvement, this can be applied in other non-business organisations as well. Education is one such field where BPR has been a success when applied diligently. In the West BPR has been applied to several educational institutions in the public domain and Davies & West Burnham (1997) report that a number of empirical studies prove the successful application of BPR through several case studies. Quoting Dettmann (1997) the authors show empirical evidence of dramatic improvement in student performance by introduction of laptops and continuous access to information thereby enhancing the learning process. In another case (Sothern 1997) they show evidence that introduction of video conferencing facilities together with interactive technologies and changes in the teaching process brought about a 25% improvement in student output of at the sixth grade level. 4.1 BPR in Education There are two participants in any education programme; the teachers and the taught. Transfer of knowledge takes place from the first to the second. However the first group needs to have a vision, provided by its leadership, on which an educational pyramid is built up. An educational pyramid is an effective way to transfer knowledge of team building, self mastery, and subject matter knowledge. A build-up of knowledge begins with first designing the modules of knowledge first as an introduction and then building it up towards advanced knowledge. The delivery part means providing a system that can effectively transfer this knowledge to the pupils. This comprise of the methods and the tools. Systems’ training is essential to understanding the use of tools. This is a continuous process as new information keeps on adding, not really making the past redundant, rather building upon it. The system must know how to absorb this and how to take advantage of their components. Process training may be needed to help teachers think beyond a linear process to a more holistic interdependent process. Education is therefore necessary to build up the Total Quality Management (TQM), Statistical Process Control (SPC), or Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) for these mechanisms that are to be designed into the new processes. Finally, a structured on-the-job training (OJT) program is instrumental in providing continuity of the new process during periods of personnel turnover or attrition. Such a detailed system needs to be installed in place of the current staid process of imparting knowledge in a general fashion. Knowledge that cannot be applied, and that is largely theoretical is useless for the student as it is merely information based on which the student will find little use for it in practical life. The training of the trainers therefore assumes a larger importance in the whole set up. This can be achieved by the clean slate method, the big bang method or by an intermediary method that can take one part of the system and overhaul it. It is possible to break the educational pyramid into primary, secondary and higher learning. Each can be tackled under BPR as a separate module. However a part of a system or module cannot be effectively re-engineered and only the whole system has a better chance of achieving the desired objective of BPR. This is applicable to both the schools as well in higher education. However the applicability has to be assessed keeping in mind the environmental factors of the country where BPR is to be applied. It is the intention of this paper to delve into the sector of Indian higher education and not on school education with the belief that it will be easier to try out the BPR model in a fewer more enlightened institutions, before a general application that can follow a successful model. 5.0 Research Methodology Research Methodology refers to the strategies researchers follow in gaining knowledge about a phenomenon. Quantitative and Qualitative research strategies are examples of Methodologies. Method refers to the research tactics used in the conduct of a research effort. Examples include drawing samples, conducting questionnaire surveys, engaging, and participating in observations. Eisenhardt (1989) and Locke (2001) have concluded that qualitative methodology is appropriate for both exploration and understanding of a phenomenon. A qualitative inquiry will establish both cause and reason for need and usefulness of BPR in such institutions. The targets of this research are the Indian Higher Education entities that have attempted to introduce BPR at their institution. The work can be in single or in multiple cases even for the sample lot (Yin, 1984). A case study would provide more information on the qualitative aspects of the research than an interview or a discussion with the respective people and information sources identified. A case study is chosen since the data is too large and a single case is taken as a sample case to identify the multiple issues that arise in the application of BPR. BPR has not been well understood l in the Indian education sector and therefore research will be carried out starting with an investigation of the contemporary status as reported in the media and by various government and non-government bodies. For the empirical investigation, multiple sources of evidence will be used such as the press, journals analysis as well as the legal and government role in the educational system. Later an attempt will be made to find and analyse a case study where BPR has been applied in this context. Again this may not be easy as the Indian system is under political influence of the government of the day and policies keep changing very often. 5.1 Limitations A research can be conclusive when it is carried out over a number of cases and over a period of time to cover the depth and width of the research questions. A representative research conducted with a sample case can be misleading due to paucity of information and limitations of the exposures of the subjects involved. In fairness therefore such a research will give a general overview of the situation and while it offers broad points it cannot be relied upon to be a conclusive finding that can be applied with confidence of the subject case. However considering the literature available on the subject it will help in assessing the situation in general and can guide in further research by pointing out anomalies as well as shortcomings that do not appear in consonance with accepted literature. 6.0 The Indian Education System India’s education system turns out millions of graduates each year, many skilled in IT and engineering. This manpower advantage underpins India’s recent economic advances, but masks deep seated problems within India’s education system. While India’s demographics are generally perceived to give it an edge over other countries’ economies (India will have a youthful population when other countries have ageing populations), if this advantage is restricted to small, highly educated elite, it will jeopardise the higher ambitions of the nation in world of commerce. In 1986, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi announced a new education policy, the National Policy on Education (NPE), which was intended to prepare India for the 21st century. The policy emphasized the need for change: ‘Education in India stands at the crossroads today. Neither normal linear expansion nor the existing pace and nature of improvement can meet the needs of the situation (Shukla 1988). In 2000/01, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) issued a National Curriculum Framework for school education under the slogan of ‘Indianize, nationalize and spiritualize’. The growth of the IT and BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) industries and the concomitant spread of computer use and application in the private sector have a significant impact on the expansion of the highly skilled labour market, and thus on higher education. In fact, private sector education is a growing field in itself, estimated to make up nearly 2 per cent of GDP. Unfortunately, this top-quality education is restricted not only geographically to those areas where the IT industries are based (as we have already seen), but also according to ability to pay, as the private-sector educational institutions charge prohibitive fees. The commission for the Tenth Plan (2002–7) has set itself the target of identifying and designating 25 universities ‘with potential for excellence’ across the country. These institutions will be ‘funded at a higher level to enable them to attain excellence in teaching and research’, according to the UGC concept paper (Nigavekar (2002). Along with a few hundred colleges, they will be given full academic freedom to experiment with the curriculum, introduce innovations in teaching, conduct their own examinations and award joint degrees with affiliating universities.49 In addition, quality control issues resulted in the creation of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India (NAAC) in 1994 with the objective of assessing and grading institutions of Higher Education on a scale from 1 to 5. These proposals appear to reflect the need to invest in higher education to attain the high quality now demanded by the growing economy. The role of the NAAC is particularly important for achieving increased accountability for publicly funded institutions. 6.1 Case Study In India some State Governments took the initiative to use BPR in higher education to bring about reforms and improvement in this sector. One such attempt was made in Punjab, one of the more affluent states in India The State Government had set up two Working Groups in 2006 on BPR in Government and Improving Access to Language and Higher Education. These were based upon the deliberations held with a team of the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) headed by S. Reghunathan, Advisor. The entire approach was based upon the cornerstone of reducing redundant hierarchies and empowering lower levels of administration through capacity building and use of technology. The Group had examined the recommendations of the NKC on the teaching of English language in the State-run schools and at higher education levels. The Group had made certain concrete recommendations for the Departments of School and Higher Education taking into account the constraints as well. She emphasized that Graduates with high proficiency in English and good communication skills should be inducted into teaching along with retraining of existing teaching staff. The Group suggested that the State Council Educational Research and Training (SCERT) must be strengthened and made the nodal agency for textbook development. The Group also suggested that the Department of School Education should consider introduction of a semester system so that there was no academic burden on the students at the end of the academic session. The Chief Secretary advised the Education Department to consider utilising the services of the British Council to impart exclusive English training to in-service teachers as well as new recruits. The result however remains inconclusive as there is no further report on the outcome of these measures. 7.0 Findings The above research throws up a very disconcerting result. The Indian education system continues to be fragile in the sense that it is totally out of sync with ground realities. Education is the responsibility of the government hence it is always a political issue. There is a noble ideal to educate every child in this huge country of a billion. However in this pursuit of this policy the quality has been almost ignored. Apparently quantity and not the quality is the current objective that is the political fallout. The institutionalisation of primary education by the government has several fallouts. The higher education has private participation but the premier institutes are still funded by the government and therefore effectively controlled by its policies. The University Grants Commission is a statutory body that was established in 1956 by an Act of Parliament for the purpose of funding as well as coordinating, determination and maintenance of quality standards in higher education in India. Higher education in India includes around 300 universities affiliating more than 17,000 colleges that enroll over 10 million students with a teaching community of about 0.5 million teachers.. Because of its financial clout it prescribes the norms for administrative purposes that intend to set standards for the institutions that get financial aid through this forum. It has floated an enquiry in 2007 inviting expression of interest (EOI) from experts in BPR studies and their implementation particularly in the area of educational management and government administration. According to Balram (2008) and Nagar (2009) there is political interference and a decline in the quality of the faculty, and both of them are detrimental to higher education. The need is to create good teaching and research facilities and to make the teaching profession more attractive. A new government is in place in 2009 and has a greater political will to change the education system. The policy announced is to raise the status of 250 exceptional colleges to status of universities (Hindustan Times) as well as to change the system of examinations at the secondary school level. There is thus a continuous thrust on reforms in the education sector. However amongst all this effort there is no mention of the use of BPR methodology for a dramatic change. The change efforts are directed more at the infrastructure and providing of institutions of learning to the vast population that is still to get an opportunity to educate itself. There are calls for improvement in quality but that is restricted to redesigning course books and curriculums. The methods of delivery are seldom looked at; at the most there is hue and cry for better teachers, more teachers and more institutes of learning. The National Knowledge Commission too has been involved in advising the government on setting up of institutes but has yet to come up with comprehensive standards for higher education. There is no cohesion or any central policy about the level and quality of the subjects taught. Strangely there is no mention of the use of BPR in higher or lower educational set up. The result is that a huge number of students go abroad for higher studies, despite prohibitive costs, in quest for excellence and quality of education. The outdated education system has been changed several times but still is far behind the Western systems that it emulates. This causes difficulty for students in getting into higher educational institutions both in India and abroad. The majority of the degree holders are mediocre, except those from the premier universities and their affiliated colleges, and they find it difficult to land up well-paid jobs. This poses a serious challenge which has been addressed in small measures across several parts of the country. A BPR of the entire education system is called for but a beginning has to be made at a few institutions to try out the measures and to understand the needs of such activities. 8.0 Conclusion The essential feature of BPR is an overhaul of the existing system to bring about a radical change in the system itself. It may well be worthwhile applying this in the education system in India. The age old-system cannot be really reformed as the fundamentals are no longer applicable to the present global environment. The past requirement of the education system was to produce clerical or support staff for the English rulers and governors. The system at that time did produce remarkable administrators and bureaucrats but their orientation was advisory or supportive like consultants. They were not decision makers. Where they were used as decision makers they fell far short as they lacked the acumen of a risk taking businessman. This is one great reason of the failure of the great State Owned Enterprises of the Indian Government as these bureaucrats that managed them failed to compete in the market or make profit for their companies. In similar fashion the Indian Education system also began largely in the public domain and private players came in late. However the system was embedded long before the country became independent and therefore even the private schools and colleges have followed the same pattern of education including the common syllabus prescribed in the earlier age. Small and random attempts have been made in places like Punjab to introduce changes under the advice of the National Knowledge Commission (KNC) but they have not followed the BPR method (Punjab Newsline 2008), rather they have relied in simple reforms. The results have therefore not been spectacular as desired. The scope of BPR in the education sector is therefore much needed if the Indian system has to match or better the Western systems. The much touted NKC has done little towards reforms. The latest report, second in the series suggests many much-needed recommendations on wide-ranging aspects including portals, health information network, legal education, medical education, management education, open and distance education, open educational resources, innovation, intellectual property rights (IPRs), legal framework for public funded research and traditional health systems. It is however frank in admitting that there is still resistance to new ideas, experimentation, process re-engineering, transparency and accountability, due to stiff Indian organisational structures (NKC 2008). It is strange why the Indian Education system does not employ BPR for the reform itself. The need of the hour is to be able to meet the global challenge as India is poised for a place in the world economy as a forefront emerging economy. It is known that education is the precursor of development in the global business context. The educational system in India still follows the colonial pattern set for it over a hundred years ago. It is a paradox that while India produces a very large number of graduates every year but most have followed an outdated education system which disqualifies them for overseas jobs and they have to undergo further education and training to qualify for overseas higher education. 9.0 Recommendations Education is very important in the context of both global relationships and global trade. The subject of educational reforms needs a more radical approach as India looks for its rightful place in the world as leading service provider due to its vast potential in producing a very large number of English speaking graduates and its institutions of higher learning have been acknowledged to be a productive base of talent. These calls for a wider and deeper research and this paper has, within its limitations attempted to conduct a research through the case study method on what has been achieved in India in this context. It will now go on to make recommendations for introduction of BPR in the higher learning sector as a beginning since it will be easier to focus on a few institutions in the re-construction of the system. Successful results will encourage the spread of BPR into other areas like schools to bring about a fundamental change in the entire educational system across India. BPR has also been considered as a Management Fad; and Fads do not have a long shelf life. Robert Brinbaum (2000) opines that while Fads often create significant educational and organisational problems, they are an essential source of good ideas that may be of great value to colleges and universities. He suggests what academic managers can do to maximize the organisational benefits of new management techniques while minimising their institutional costs. This comprehensive resource can help administrators and faculty become effective academic leaders who understand how management innovations can be used to strengthen the enduring educational and social purposes of higher education. The study of BPR process will remain just that unless there is a will to implement the programme. Depending on the changes prescribed new job descriptions may need to be created and the faculty may need to be retrained. Similarly, job descriptions may need to be altered and new incentive programs may be required to ensure compliance. The first part is to analyse and define a process, and the next is to manage it on a day-to-day basis. The former usually refers to a process improvement or the redesigning of a project. The latter focuses on the daily work of managers who need to see through its implementation. Education, if treated like a business, will easily entertain and gain from BPR as a measure for all round improvement in performance both at the level of the teachers and the taught. 10.0 Bibliography Balaram, P., (2008), Current Science, v 94 March 2009, pp 153– 154. Brinbaum, Robert., (2000), Management Fads In Higher Education: Where They Come From, What They Do, Why They Fail, Jossey Bass. Cummings, T.G. & Worley, C.G., (2005), Organization Development and Change, 8th ed. Mason, Ohio: Thomson Southwestern Dettmann, P., (1997), The Laptop Revolution in Davies, B. & West Burnham, J., (eds) (1997), Reengineering and Total Quality in Schools, London, Pitman Publishing Davies, B. & West Burnham, J., (eds) (1997), Reengineering and Total Quality in Schools, London, Pitman Publishing Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Status of Education in India, a National Report, prepared for the Ministry of Education, Govt. of India Eisenhardt, K. M., (1989), Building theory from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532-550 Hammer, M., (1990), engineering Work: Don't Automate, Obliterate. Harvard Business Review, July-August, 104-111 Hammer, M. and Champy, J., (1993), Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, London, Nicholas Brearly. Hammer, M. and Champy, J., (2001), Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, London, Nicholas Brearly. Hindustan Times e-paper, accessed on 26 June 2009 Hutton, G., (1996), Business Process Reengineering – A Public Sector view in Armistead, C.and Rowland, P. (eds), Managing Business Process, BPR and Beyond, New York, John Wiley & Sons. Johnson, H, J., McHug, P., Pendlelbury, A. J., and Wheeler, W. A., (1994), Business Process Reengineering: Breakpoint Strategies for Market Dominance, New York, John Wiley & Sons. Lewin, K., (1958), Group Decision and Social Change. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. Locke, K. D., (2001), Grounded Theory in Management Research. Sage. London Murphy, E., (1994), Cultural values, workplace democracy and organisational change: emerging issues in European businesses, In Coulson-Thomas, C. (Ed.) (1994) Business Process Reengineering: Myth & Reality, Kogan Page, London, 201-210. Nagar, P. K., (2009), Current Science, v 96 March 2009, pp 8 Nigavekar, Arun., (2002), Tenth Five-Year Plan in Higher Education NKC (2008), Many New recommendations by National Knowledge Commission, available at : http://indiaedunews.net/Career/Many_New_recommendations_by_National_Knowledge_Commission_3179/ accessed on 25 June 2009. Porter, M. E., (1985), Competitive Advantage, New York, Free Press. Punjab Newsline (2008), Punjab CS reviews reports of Working Groups on BPR and Education Shukla, P.D., (1988), The New Education Policy, Sterling Publishers Private Ltd., Delhi, pp. 2. Southorn, N., (1997), Reengineering post-16 courses in Davies, B. & West Burnham, J., (eds) (1997), Reengineering and Total Quality in Schools, London, Pitman Publishing Strassman, P., (1993), Rebottling old medicine: origins and relevance of reengineering, American Programmer (Special issue on BPR), 6, 11, 3-9. Yin, R., (1984), Case study research: Design and methods (1st ed.), Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing, pp. 1-106. Read More