Fwd: [AISWorld] WSM in relation to BPM Research Group at QUT - Cfp

29 Nov 2010


      -------- 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
------------------------------
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.