Factors Influencing Business Process Reengineering at Kenya Airways

Abstract

In today’s dynamic, extremely competitive and increasingly shifting market, to survive and operate competitively, it is expected for organizations let go surrender outdated ways of conducting businesses and improve to shifts in their surroundings. Technology especially Information Communication Technology (ICT) constitutes various aspects including information system, hard ware and communication technology that offer persons necessary pieces of information (Attaran, 2003). Chogo (2013) identified technology, organizational culture, organizational structure, management systems and processes as the factors that influence the business process reengineering. The goal of this study was to investigate the extent to which these factors influence business process engineering at Kenya Airways (KQ). Kenya Airways, a National Carrier that was at some point recognized as the most profitable airline in Africa and the champion of the "Most Respected Company in East Africa," has experienced perhaps the powerful headwinds after its privatization in 1995. The motivation for this study was the fact that for the last three years since 2013, Kenya Airways has been reporting massive losses. The study utilized a case study design. The target population for the research comprised of senior managers working in Strategy and Performance Management department at Kenya Airways, Human resources Department and information communication technology department. The study used purposive sampling technique. The study gathered both primary and secondary information. Semi- structured interviews were employed in collecting primary data while secondary data was obtained from a systematic review of literature of from relevant sources including publications and reports on the Kenya Airways. From the discussion of the summary findings, the study concludes that; integration of various ICT technologies is a vital aspect of ICT influencing Business process reengineering; that there exist a significant linear link between Information Communication Technology and Business process Reengineering; that customer interface is a very important factor influencing Business process Reengineering. Finally, the study recommends avoidance of modifying an organization's structure to accomplish a given strategic goal because this can really intensify problems as opposed to aiding in resolving the problems. The failure in the acknowledgement of the significance of company structure on the productivity of enterprises will result in dangerous predisposition in determining of the costs and full profitability. Companies thus need to assess critically own systems aiming for the betterment of internal and external performance.