-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [AISWorld] WSM in relation to BPM Research Group at QUT Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 12:41:37 -0800 From: Steven Alter alter@usfca.edu To: aisworld@lists.aisnet.org
Jan,
I hope your time in Vancouver was enjoyable and productive.
I look forward to any further changes in our paper and then submission.
Meanwhile, at the same time that I received your email I also saw your posting on AISWorld about the three positions in the BPM group.
Since you are one of very few BPM experts who also understands the value of thinking about systems as work systems, not just highly structured business processes where the actual work steps are black box subroutines ( I am surely unaware of the latest BPM advances), you are in a unique position to visualize both disconnects and synergies between these two ways of looking at systemic action in organizations.
While it might be easiest to simply keep those two areas separate in your future work, you might consider a number of possible ways of exploring and clarifying both the disconnects and the synergies. Here are a few such ideas:
1) Write an initial paper on the disconnects and potential synergies. Do this by identifying basic assumptions about reality, basic top level concepts, the second layer of concepts related to the top level concept, important omissions, etc. The sources could be the BPM literature on the one hand in comparison with some of the stuff in the WS theory paper I sent you.
2) Apply a highly rigorous BPM kind of mindset to thinking about WSM and how and why it meets or fails to meet criteria for well formed BPM models even with its different terminology. Perhaps this is essentially the same as using evaluation criteria for conceptual modeling concepts (e.g., under what circumstances are concepts overloaded, ambiguous, etc.)
3) Insert WSM awareness into the research that will be done by the three new BPM people at QUT. For example, when they do case studies, have them use WSM to help in clarifying what BPM truly accomplishes in those case study situations and what types of issues it ignores or downplays. One possibility is to have them write two versions of the same case study, one with a BPM mindset and one with a WSM mindset, and then to compare them. I don't know whether that would be possible, but if it would be possible it would probably be a unique contribution.
Anyway, I would certainly be interested in discussing any of that or any related possibilities if you would be interested. (The worst case for me is that I would end up less ignorant about BPM.)
See you at ICIS? ... or have you had enough of North America for a while?
Best regards, Steve
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Message: 3 Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:36:59 +1000 From: Jan Recker <j.recker@qut.edu.au mailto:j.recker@qut.edu.au> To: "'aisworld@lists.aisnet.org mailto:aisworld@lists.aisnet.org'" <aisworld@lists.aisnet.org mailto:aisworld@lists.aisnet.org> Subject: [AISWorld] Up to 3 new positions available at the BPM Research Group, QUT Message-ID: <BE000961036AF549A014CCBB688CAC440286A548D5@QUTEXMBX02.qut.edu.au mailto:BE000961036AF549A014CCBB688CAC440286A548D5@QUTEXMBX02.qut.edu.au> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Up to 3 new positions (1 Research Fellow and up to 2 PhD students) are available at the BPM Research Group within the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. The positions are under a new research project on "Facilitating Business Process Standardization and Reuse".
Project background One of the most pressing management challenges of today's organisations lies in the reuse and standardisation of best practices across different sectors, products or units. This project aims to design and develop an innovative process model repository and appropriate governance structures to efficiently and effectively support the standardisation and reuse of best practices. The project is co-founded by Suncorp, one of Australia's top 25 listed companies and Queensland's largest listed corporation. Suncorp provides a range of banking and insurance products directly to customers through an extensive branch and agency network, call centre operations, on-line facilities, and through intermediaries and corporate partners. The collaboration with Suncorp will offer the successful applicants an opportunity to work with real-life business process models, and the possibility to conduct case studies to validate the outcomes of their research.
Research Fellow
The role of this research fellow is to work on algorithms and techniques to facilitate standardization of proven practices in large collections of business process models. Moreover, the fellow is expected to take a key role in the management of the research project. S(he) will assist in the supervision of research students where required, and participate in the development of the project by preparing and collating publications, reports and articles, as appropriate. Furthermore, s(he) will develop, and oversee the development of, prototypical software.
Position Title: Research Fellow Closes: 14 February 2011 Organisational Area: Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology Campus: 126 Margaret Street, Brisbane Salary Range/Classification: $72 617 to $86 241 pa Research Fellow (Level B) Superannuation: 17% employer contribution Status: Fixed-term for up to 2 years Start date: mid 2011 Position Contact and Title: Dr Marcello La Rosa
(07) 3138 9482 or m.larosa@qut.edu.au mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au<mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au> Open to: Australian and International Applicants.
PhD 1 The role of this PhD student is to work on algorithms to reuse best practices within large process model collections. Within this work, the PhD student will be required to conduct requirements analysis, formal algorithm specification, implementation and testing.
Position Title: PhD in Computer Science Closes: 14 February 2011 Organisational Area: Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology Campus: 126 Margaret Street, Brisbane Scholarship: $27,222 pa (tax exempt) + tuition fee waiver Status: Fixed-term 3 years Start date: March 2011 Position Contact and Title: Dr Marcello La Rosa
(07) 3138 9482 or m.larosa@qut.edu.au mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au<mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au mailto:m.larosa@qut.edu.au> Open to: Australian and International Applicants.
PhD 2 The role of this PhD student is to examine theoretically and empirically the use, appropriation, governance and impact of the process model repository to be built within this project, in contexts of process standardization and reuse. To that end, the PhD student will be required to examine managerial aspects of process modelling, the use of process modelling in actual organisational task settings, as well as important organisational decision-making structures.
Position Title: PhD in Information Systems Closes: 14 February 2011 Organisational Area: Information Systems, Faculty of Science and Technology Campus: 126 Margaret Street, Brisbane Scholarship: $27,222 pa (tax exempt) + tuition fee waiver Status: Fixed-term 3 years Start date: March 2011 Position Contact and Title: A/Prof. Jan Recker
(07) 3138 9479 or j.recker@qut.edu.au mailto:j.recker@qut.edu.au<mailto:j.recker@qut.edu.au mailto:j.recker@qut.edu.au> Open to: Australian and International Applicants.
More information on these positions can be found at http://www.bpm.fit.qut.edu.au/about/opportunities/index.jsp#positions.