Inside the Game Changers – The Making of Business Reengineering

"Why is it so darn hard to make our businesses perform better?" Dr. Michael Hammer once asked this question, and back in the 1980s, there wasn't a good answer. Then Hammer and the firm he partnered with, CSC Index, found one. They called it "business reengineering,” and it became a blockbuster management concept that companies used to dramatically reduce costs, cut cycle times and increase revenue.Born from Hammer and CSC Index’s thought leadership research program (PRISM), it fueled a $5 billion-a-year global market for reengineering consulting services by the mid-1990s. Then by 2000, CSC Index fully dissolved into its parent company. What happened? In this first episode of Inside the Game Changers, we dive into the story of business reengineering with the people who were there.(00:00) – The 1990s’ Embrace of Business Reengineering(03:04) – The Research Program Behind the Concept (05:00) - Turning Reengineering into a Consulting Service(06:51) – The Genesis of the PRISM Program(10:01) – The Guru at the Center: Michael Hammer(13:27) – PRISM’s Magic Research Formula (19:38) - Getting Research Sponsors to Reveal: How the Team Built Trust(25:42) – Research Shift: From IT Management to Business Process Change(28:21) – Global Adoption: Marketing Business Reengineering(32:49) – Consulting Market Competitors Catch Up(34:12) – Fall of CSC Index & Remembering Michael Hammer(36:14) – Reengineering’s Biggest LessonsCertain archival materials: Courtesy of the Estate of Dr. Michael Hammer.WIKIMEDIA COMMONS CREDIT (all modified):1. “Sap-wdf” — MichaelBr90; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sap-wdf.jpg2. “ITB2016 Oracle (1) Travelarz” — Travelarz; CC BY-SA 3.0 PL. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ITB2016_Oracle_(1)_Travelarz.jpg3. “Great Dome, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aug 2019” — Mys 721tx; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_Dome,_Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology,_Aug_2019.jpg4. “FordGlassHouse” — Dave Parker; CC BY 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FordGlassHouse.jpg5. “MIT - Department of Mathematics (54960639561)” — ajay_suresh; CC BY 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MIT_-_Department_of_Mathematics_(54960639561).jpg6. “Hype-Cycle-General” — Olga Tarkovskiy; CC BY-SA 3.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hype-Cycle-General.png7. “Accenture Argentina” — Roberto Fiadone; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Accenture_Argentina.jpg8. “2025-07-31 Heinz Nixdorf Forum 108” — Ziko van Dijk; CC BY-SA 4.0. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2025-07-31_Heinz_Nixdorf_Forum_108.jpgLICENSES:CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/CC BY-SA 3.0 PL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/pl/CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/This documentary includes excerpts from third-party works—including articles, webpages, photos, charts, and other archival materials—for purposes such as commentary, historical analysis, criticism, reporting and research. These excerpts are incorporated into original narration and analysis and are presented in context. We have sought to use only the portions reasonably necessary to identify, document or examine the subjects discussed, rather than to reproduce or substitute for the original works or their authorized markets.ETL believes that these particular uses qualify as fair use under Section 107 of the United States Copyright Act. Copyrights in third-party materials remain with their respective owners. Third-party names, trademarks and logos are displayed solely for identification, commentary and historical reference—they do not imply affiliation with, sponsorship of or endorsement.https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/#:~:text=Section%20107%20of%20the%20Copyright,may%20qualify%20as%20fair%20use.