This article is a brief summary of the paper “The effects of process orientation. A literature review” by Kohlbacher M., to be published in the Business Process Management Journal, vol. 16, issue, 1, 2010. The paper examines the literature to review studies that report about the influence of process orientation on organizational performance. Studies were classified into statements without straight empirical support, quantitative studies, and case studies. A total of 26 studies were identified that report about effects of process orientation on organizational performance. Studies where positive effects are obtained are predominant.

According to the results of the paper, the effects most often reported are

• speed improvements (most often in terms of cycle time reductions), reported by 14 studies
• increase of customer satisfaction, reported by 11 studies
• improvement of quality (most often in terms of product quality), reported by 10 studies
• reduction of cost, reported by 10 studies
• improvement of financial performance (e.g. in terms of sales, profits or profitability), reported
  by 8 studies