Process integration for competitive success : Benchmarking barriers and bridges

Managers at leading companies recognize that the key to competitive success is to meet the real needs of customers better than the competition. These companies have adopted well‐crafted strategies that have driven a revolution of restructuring and reengineering. The objective of these initiatives has been to develop “core competencies” that will lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction. Fundamental to competency development is the notion of process integration. When focused on delivering value to customers, process integration is considered by many analysts to hold the key to future competitive success. This paper discusses the findings of a large‐scale empirical study, highlighting the barriers and bridges to more effective process integration.