In a process-oriented organization, management needs to support the process program. Without the support of senior executives, the process idea cannot unfold to its full potential. There is a high risk for process management to fail if senior executives do not undertake necessary leadership roles and do not promote process-oriented thinking (Hinterhuber, 1995). Process oriented initiatives are less likely to secure benefits unless managers come to a consensus and an understanding of such initiatives (Edwards et al., 2000).
- Process orientation must be a long-term commitment rather than a quick fix. Management should perceive process management not as a single project, but as a way of managing the business (Hammer, 2007).
- In an ideal case, the organization has established a so-called chief process officer (CPO) who deeply understands the concept of the process approach and who is centrally responsible for the advancement of the enterprise-wide business process management (Schmelzer and Sesselmann, 2006).
- The senior executive team should be actively engaged in the process program (Hammer, 2007), e.g. by setting process performance goals or deciding between several process design variants.
