Emakin

First of all, let me be clear about what I do think. Of course, I am not one of those crazy authentic people who believe that the Earth is flat.

But, as you may know, this is a slogan that we, as Emakin are still using for more than a decade. So then, why do we use it?

The story goes back to 2005, in which a book written by three times Pulitzer Prize winner Thomas L. Friedman was published. The name of the book was “The World is Flat.”

In his book, Mr Friedman uses this slogan as a metaphor for viewing the world as a level playing field in terms of commerce, wherein all competitors, except for labour, have an equal opportunity. Moreover, he emphasizes the inevitability of a rapid pace of change and the triviality of borders in globalization. Thanks to the improvements in technology, it is more straightforward than ever to communicate and do business with any part of the world. That’s why, ironically, the world has become a flat place.

Then, he continues to describe the ten flatteners of the world in his book, where the workflow software takes its place in number three.

Now, let me continue with this article’s second part, which focuses on workflow software, managing business processes and their importance for an organization.

What is workflow software?

In a nutshell, workflow software is a solution for setting up and performing a defined sequence of tasks with the broad goals of increasing productivity, reducing costs and improving efficiency within an organization.

What is BPM?

And there are Business Process Management (BPM) solutions, which is a holistic approach to give a much broader picture of all the processes within an organization. They focus on the bigger picture and help organizations be better by not just monitoring but by continuously improving towards excellence. (There are some debates for the differences between workflow systems and business process management solutions but let’s save it for another article and mind the general opinion.)

The importance of a BPM solution for an organization

Business process management is about operating businesses in the most efficient way possible and helping them to accomplish their digital transformation.

That can mean speeding up transactions, optimizing resource allocation, eliminating bottlenecks etc. It also reduces the dependency on the person, which creates the organizational memory — the vital essence of an organization.

The main benefits of BPM

If set up correctly, BPM solutions are great tools for organizations to complete their digital transformation. And here are a few topics to mention indeed;

The Organizational Memory: Since organizations have the power of designing their processes straightforwardly with the help of a BPM solution, employees do not have to worry about their daily routine decisions. Instead, the system will guide the employee and ask them whenever needed, with as little information as required. And step by step, this leads companies to have their organizational memory. Thus, new employees can adapt much more quickly when they start. Or, when they leave, business functions continue to operate, and critical information is kept inside the company.

Agility: The processes are like living organisms which means that they are always open to changes and need attention. With a proper BPM solution, companies can implement these changes efficiently and seamlessly.

Cost Efficiency: By streamlining operations and collaboration, organizations can decrease costs while improving productivity.

Increased Productivity: The BPM solutions automate repetitive tasks, remove bottlenecks, and reduce unnecessary steps.

Here are the other fundamental benefits to mention;

• Revenue Growth

• Reduced Errors

• Compliance

• Improved Collaboration

• Improved Customer Experience

• Competitive Advantage

• Digital Transformation

To sum it up;

We couldn’t find a better phrase to describe ourselves as a company specializing in streamlining business processes, and that’s why we use this slogan.

Remember, every business is composed of processes. But the key to success heavily lies in how you manage these processes.

If you need more information about the book “The World is Flat”, you can click here.

If you would like to learn how we flatten the world, please click here.