Managing business process performance in function of increasing efficiency of enterprise

A competitive game in the knowledge economy differs in several aspects from the business and market competition in the industrial era. These are the increased relevance of intellectual capital in creating values, the necessity of understanding the needs of key stakeholders, the need to increase the volume and quality of services provided to consumers, enterprises’ necessity to increase the flexibility to the changes in the environment, efficient application of information technology and others. Process-oriented approach in managing the company emerges as a result of these and many other changes in the knowledge economy. The main characteristic of process-oriented enterprise is flexibility, reflected in the possibility of quick and adequate response to changes in the environment. Process-oriented company is being formed through transformation of a traditional (functional) structure into a new one, so as processes are being used as the basis for grouping tasks instead of functions. This means that jobs are not grouped according to their similarity or resemblance, as in the functional approach, but to their connection to the appropriate process. In this way, instead of classical organizational units (procurement, production, sales, finance, etc.), teams are being emphasized, containing all of those tasks and activities, being within the aim of realization of the specific process. A company with a previously arranged hierarchical system of functional units becomes flatter, with fewer levels of management, and autonomous teams perform certain activities and processes from their beginning to the final ones. Finding an adequate way of performance management in process-oriented enterprise is the focus of the above concept. A management framework shall be developed in the paper, consisting of four phases, titled as: planning, measuring, analyzing and improving of business process performances. Planning is the first phase involving definition of the target (desired) performance of the process being relevant in gaining both in the realization of a strategy / performance improvement program process and strategy for the company, as a whole. On the other hand, the quality of measurements and established system of performance measurement process depend on the quality of managerial decisions regarding business processes. After the measuring process, there is a process of analysis of performances management and reporting this structure on them. The process of performance management process is being finalized in determination of measures, actions, programs and initiatives by the company's management, necessary to improve process performance, since they are being manifested themselves in the vital financial performance of companies and their impact on its competitiveness. In addition, process-oriented enterprise, more accurately, the improved performance of the process of supplying the necessary inputs, creation and production of products, sales and another marketing activities, delivering products and customer service processes, affect the economic performance, investment performance and other companies’ performances, like the amount and quality of products, company’s income, expenses, profits, efficiency and others. By reviewing of recent research results, there is an indication that most of the resources associated with process-oriented enterprise performance belong to the literature that is not based on adequate data and empirical tests. In this regard, as a part of a doctoral dissertation, the results of empirical research shall be presented to be conducted on a sample of companies from Serbia. The purpose of this study shall be identifying the possibilities of applying of the process approach within the companies in Serbia, as well as, analyzing the presence and effects of the implementation of the concept of performance management of business processes in them