Common business objects within multinationals
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>So adopting a "common business object" may NOT be the way to go.
> The detailed way in which a business operates is one way of
building
> a competitive edge. Anyone trying to implement a "common business
> object" gives up that opportunity to build a competitive edge.'
I agree that having the same business process as a competitor can remove an
advantage, but to change the thread slightly how do you achieve this WITHIN
a company with different sites ?
Do you use a
1. Top down approach : Driven from head office - one size fits all
countries. No changes at country level.
2. Industry Group then Top-down approach : Based on industry groups
recommendations for external processes. Driven from head office - one size
fits all countries. No changes at country level.
3. Peer consensus approach : Sharing of approaches between different
countries in repositories then moving slowly towards a best of breed
solution(s).
4. Standardisation of Interfaces between systems leading to constrained
variation on internal business approaches approach : Require common
interfaces for transfer of data within the multinational and so constrain
the internal process. ( SONY did this according to one article when they
standardised their factory software in Japan.)
5. Don't bother.
Written explanations
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>I have also found over many years that procedures and rules simply
>stated in English are much more reliable, understandable and
informative
>than a pile "real estate" containing "models" of dubious value.
Some people like pictures ( flow charts ), others like written explanations
and some people like both.
Getting a business process change in an organisation (even if it gives a
competitive advantage) is as much about selling and lobbying the idea as the
quality of the idea.
This means that you have to vary your approach and the detail of the
business process depending on who your are selling.
Formal process can be useless for implementation, but perhaps that is
because this is not their intended audience or use.
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