Determinants of Bahraini managers' acceptance of business process reengineering

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the possible underlying factors that influence managers' intentions towards adopting business process reengineering (BPR) in a less‐developed country (LDC) context, namely Bahrain. Design/methodology/approach – The study used a survey method to elicit opinions from 104 managers from 14 different big Bahraini businesses. Findings – The results showed that the existence of some organizational capabilities such as “effective project management experiences” and “the ability to build an organizational‐wide need for change” are important requisites to gain positive salient beliefs toward accepting BPR. Moreover, it showed that “managers' cognitive style” and “level of education” had significant influences on their “intentions to adopt BPR approach.” The findings also suggest that other external factors such as “competitive pressures” and “managers' beliefs about BPR” are significant antecedents to BPR perceived ease of use. Research limitations/implications – Conclusions are drawn about BPR experiences in countries such as Bahrain. Those experiences are compared and contrasted with the related prior studies, which are mainly from western countries' practices. Possible future research issues are raised to extend the author understanding of how BPR initiatives are promoted in organizations. However, the sample was limited to one LDC, which limits the possibility of generalizing its findings to all less‐developed countries. Originality/value – The study provides insights into the required organizational capabilities, circumstances, and/or beliefs that ease promoting BPR initiatives in businesses. Accordingly, possible‐related strategies can be devised to enhance BPR practices in organizations.