A growth state transition model as driver for business process management in small medium enterprises

Abstract

A key constraint for growing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa is the business skills required to grow the enterprises through the stages of transformation. Business process management (BPM) is one of the skills that could add value during transformation. Understanding the stages of transformation during SME growth would assist to position BPM as an instrument of value for SMEs. These stages of SME growth are typically defined as part of the SME growth stage models. However, criticism against SME growth stage models is of concern. In this article, we propose the 5S SME Growth State Transition Model in order to counteract some of the criticisms. The value contribution of the Model lies in defining typical states associated with SME growth that can be used as input in research to position BPM as management approach during SME growth.