Description

Although process friction has been studied under the guise of different management theories, it has largely been ignored by business; resulting in no standardized means to quantify friction’s existence and impact. This paper addresses this deficiency. In doing so, casting friction as a measure of how things actually work, the efficacy of technology-based business processes and outcomes can be measured. Applying this model, two companies working to reduce friction, IBM and Amazon, are examined; and the degree to which they have reduced friction within the business and with consumers is estimated.