Process Capital as Strategic Success Factor: The Lufthansa Example

Abstract

The high importance of processes regarding a company’s success has been known for a long time. However, the level of importance of processes, especially in comparison with other success factors, has not been in focus in a consequent matter yet. The research regarding “intangible assets” now provides a new perspective. According to recent research findings, “process capital” is one of the most important assets of a company. In consequence, process capital has to be built up and managed and has to be a major focus of corporate strategy. On the one hand, the process capital can be the basis for strategy development. On the other hand, process capital is essential for strategy implementation. Process capital management (PCM) is the concept that, in addition to a “classical” process man- agement, also focuses on developing and preserving intangible assets. This chapter gives an introduction to process capital. Then, the correlation between process capital and strategy is analyzed. Furthermore, a suggestion is made regarding the further development of process management toward PCM. Finally, the importance of process capital is illustrated by means of a real-life example from Lufthansa.