Improving shared service implementation: adopting lessons from the BPR movement

Purpose – To reveal similarities between the business process reengineering (BPR) and shared service approaches, in order to improve outcomes of shared service implementation processes through lessons learnt from previous BPR projects. Design/methodology/approach – As the focus of this paper is primarily theoretical, the paper starts out with a literature review of developments in the BPR and shared service movements. Similarities between the two change alternatives are discussed and drawn up. Findings – The paper concludes by identifying which previously learnt lessons the emerging shared service movement should take into account from the BPR era when implementing shared services. Research limitations/implications – The paper is primarily based on previous findings from a literature review. To increase insights into the contemporary shared service phenomenon, complementary research in the form of in‐depth case studies are recommended. Practical implications – Based on the similarities between BPR and shared service approaches, some normative guidelines for the implementation of shared service are given to practitioners. Originality/value – This paper fills a gap in process‐oriented research by comparing BPR and shared service approaches in order to reveal similarities, which in turn enables practitioners to draw on pre‐existing research findings in their present shared service projects.