Modeling and implementation of process management in universities as a tool for building competitive regions in Central and Eastern Europe

Abstract

Purpose - Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European countries often face criticism of the low level competitiveness of university graduates on the European labor market. The education system is not managed effectively and therefore cannot produce high quality outputs in the form of its graduates. The process management tool is not being applied in the Czech Republic and Central European university conditions, although it is a dynamic management method verified by commercial enterprises for decades. This paper therefore aims to present a vision of building educated regions in Central and Eastern Europe through effective university education managed by process management tools. The paper summarizes critical success factors of the implementation based on our own research (2009 - 2011). Design/methodology/approach - The structure and methodological approach are based on publicly available statistical data: In the Czech Republic there are 300 000 university students. Approx. 20 000 students are from abroad, 2/3 of these 20 000 are Slovak. The following represented nations are Poles, Ukrainians and Belarusians. These foreign students are mostly interested in medicine and philosophy, followed by ICT and economics. According to realized research compared with research done by the Deloitte CZ Company, 40 % of Czech, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian and Latvian students feel that school is not preparing them for real performance of their future occupation. More than 70 % of all students are complaining that they are not well instructed on how to cope with the job search process. Originality/value - The application of process management is a prime idea for universities in the Czech Republic, Central and Eastern Europe. There is no university in the Czech Republic that has fully mapped and subsequently implemented a system of process management. The benefits of the process' approach are not only to optimize supportive administrative processes, as it is often used in commercial enterprises, but also to standardize the highest level of education of young people and to prepare them for the performance of professional occupations anywhere in the European Union. Own research was divided into two stages, the first part involved 412 respondents from 21 secondary schools, the second part involved 600 students from 11 universities. Practical implications - According to our research process management has a practical impact, especially on the 5 key areas, namely Study Administration, Study Insurance, School Facilities, Communication, Study Support and Overall Satisfaction. Deloitte sees the benefits of process management in areas divided into Management, Finance, Property, Human Resources and ICT. This paper compares both approaches and summarizes the benefits in its contingencies.