博士論文審査報告書
氏名

Wijeratne Elapatha Vishakha

ヴィジェラタネ エラパタ ヴィシャカ
学位の種類

博士（公益学）学位記番号

公大院博甲第 4 号

学位授与報告番号 甲第 4 号
学位授与年月日

令和 4 年 3 月 26 日

学位授与の要件

学位規則第４条１項該当

論文題目

An Analysis of Business Process Reengineering in the Public Service
Delivery System of the Government of Sri Lanka(日本語訳「スリランカ政府の公共サービス提供システムにおけるビジネ
スプロセスリエンジニアリングの分析」)

論文審査委員

主査委員

教授 ジハン シャザダナイヤール

副査委員

教授 三木 潤一

副査委員

教授 スルトノフ ミルゾサイド〇論文内容の要旨
1. Summary of the Thesis
Sri Lanka’s colonial heritage has a significant bearing upon the design as well andfunctioning of its public service apparatus. Despite being a British colony like many othercountries in the region, Sri Lanka’s society and government structure is a special caseunlike many of its neighboring countries. I have attempted to put the case of BPR and PSD
in a broader perspective, however this is a case with evidence and analysis related tooriginal field data collected from public sector in Sri Lanka. While the data is unique, themodel used and the findings are applicable to many other countries seeking improvementof PSD through BPR expecting improved efficiency of the public sector administration.
Sri Lanka Administrative Services (SLAS - established 1972) is the successor to Ceylon
Administrative Services (CAS – established 1963). CAS was, in turn, successor to a mucholder Ceylon Civil Services (CCS – established 1833). While the purpose of CCS was to help
British colonial power to govern over its colony, SLAS has significantly different demands
and expectations from its Sri Lankan clients. While, SLAS is one major public service
provider in Sri Lanka, its functions are supplemented, and sometimes even duplicated, bylayers of other offices, across several ministries and departments. It certainly has been agreat challenge for SLAS, along with other departments and ministries, to deliver service inmodern times with a design and functionality inherited from CCS. As a result of mounting
expectations and demands of more modern, independent and highly educated populace,
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SLAS and many other departments and ministries of Sri Lanka underwent a major BPR
regime during the last decade. BPR regime, in this context, meant (i) structural reforms, (ii)regulatory overhaul, and (iii) better performance control mechanisms. These threemeasures were put in place as mainstay of the BPR regime in order to ensure an efficientdelivery of public services. In this paper I analyze the post-BPR-implementation state ofaffairs and measure the efficiency of the service across 29 ministries and departments of Sri
Lankan government through which most public services are delivered to the populace.
BPR is a continuous process instead of one time even, thus it is imperative that acontinuous
IOI feedback process be carried on and thus allow innovation be incorporated into theprocess. This way of defining BPR takes account of two key areas important to our case i.e.
fundamental rethinking and radical redesign. Two critical areas that stand out as prime
targets for a BPR regime are: first, fundamental rethinking of the philosophy; second, acomplete redesign of the structure of the business process in order to provide public
service in an efficient manner. In Sri Lanka BPR process happened incrementally overmany years by 2010, almost ten years have passed since various BPR measure were
implemented. In the next section, I lay down the details of the data used and themethodology applied to estimate the outcome of the BPR. I conducted a two-pronged
analysis of the situation as explained below.

1.1. The Data
A broad-based ground survey on a five-point Likert scale was carried out, and performancedata was collected. Data was collected through a questionnaire-based field survey
conducted across 29 departments and ministries of the Sri Lankan government. I collected a
total of 290 responses—each questionnaire composed of 40 questions regarding the inputs
and the outputs of the regime's implementation. The survey was conducted during the
February and March of 2020. In total 290 respondents returned the completed
questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed on 5-point Likert type scale with 5 meaningstrongly agreed, 4 agreed, 3 neutral, 2 disagreed and 1 for strongly disagreed. Input
questions were categorized into three areas of the regime i.e. (i) Structure, (ii) Rules, and(iii) Control and compared with the set of questions related to outcomes. The questions
were deliberately planned per se to verify the inputs the outcomes of the BPR regime for
PSD.
1.2. Stage I - Analysis
Using the data, a non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) has been employed to2measure the performance of ministries and the departments denoted as decision making
units (DMUs). A DMU’s efficiency is depicted by the ratio of the sum of its weighted
outputs to the sum of its weighted inputs. DEA is applicable to the case of both public andprivate sector entities. DEA has widespread use across a whole host of areas of public or
private service provision industries. The data was analyzed using data envelopment analysis
program DEAP Version 2.1 developed by Coelli (1996). DEA enables us to construct a
non-parametric frontier over the input and output data and calculate the efficiency scores. I
assess input-oriented constant return to the scale (CRS) and variable return to the scale(VRS) models to calculate technical efficiency and scale efficiency for 29 DMUs in ourdata. Using DEA, one can calculate each DMU’s efficiency score, calculated in relation toan efficiency frontier. DMUs positioned on the efficiency frontier have an efficiency scoreof 1. DMUs operating below the frontier have an efficiency score lesser than 1. DMUs canalso be used for benchmarking, as DMUs that fall on efficient frontier can serve as
benchmark for the DMUs that fall below the frontier and hence peers at frontier can serve
as guideposts for the slackers. A non-parametric DEA can be conducted both from an input
orientation as well as from an output orientation in order to ascertain efficiency scores.
However, for this very situation that we are dealing with input orientation will be mostappropriate, as DMUs have control over only the inputs; public service DMUs are expected
to provide a minimum level of service which is usually given and cannot be arbitrarily
controlled.
1.2.1. Primary research questions – Stage I
The stage I analysis was conducted in order to evaluate the overall as well as unitary
efficacy of the implementation of the BPR regime in the public services of the country. So
we can identify the basic research question that needed an answer from the outcomes of theanalysis. Those questions can be listed as;・Has implementation of the BPR regime resulted in increasing the efficiency of the system
as a whole?
・How disparate are the outcomes of the BPR regime across various DMUs of thegovernment of Sri Lanka?
1.2.2. Outcomes - Stage I
The data analysis shows that 4 DMUs out of a total of 29 DMUs are efficient with reference
to the scale. The disparity of the scale efficiencies can be attributed to the latent
inefficiencies or lack of full implementation of the BPR regime across the DMU. Out of 29
departments and ministries, 12 are having IRS, meaning there is still a room to improve
performance in order to achieve full-scale efficiency. 5 DMUs are faced with DRS meaning3there is a capacity to increase the scale of service delivery in order to achieve scaleefficiency. Other 12 DMUs are in a state of CRS, including 4 DMUs (DMU14, DMU22,
DMU27 and DMU29) who have achieved CRSTE, VRSTE as well as scale efficiency,
adjusting the scale towards optimum scale we can enhance the level of efficiency. We cantherefore safely conclude that out of 29 DMUs, 25 DMUs can increase public service
delivery efficiency by adjusting the scale of their operations. Additionally, we have also
prepared results on peer, groups, targets and slacks too and individual DMU results too.
1.3. Stage II - Analysis
In the second stage of the analysis, applying an ordered multivariate logistic regression
model, I have estimated correlations amongst inputs, results, and overall perception of
success or failure of the BPR regime across ministries and the departments (29 in total). I
have also tabulated summary statistics and regression results.
The analysis also allows us to test the efficacy of IOI based systematic innovation ingrainedin the regime. We can summarize the primary research questions raised in this paper asfollows:
1.3.1. Primary research questions – Stage II
・What is the relationship amongst the various BPR measures (structure, rules and control)
and the outcomes (effectiveness) of the BPR regime in total?
・How are the outcomes perceived by employees, i.e. level of agreement/disagreementlevel of effectiveness of the BPR?
・How correlated are the BPR measure per se to understand the inner structure of the BPR
measures?
1.3.2. Outcomes – Stage II
The outcomes suggest that while all inputs and outputs are significantly correlated, some
inputs have a more significant effect on the results expected from the BPR regime. I haveused original data acquired through a survey carried out directly through the PSD
organizations in the country, and this study is the first of its kind in this regard. expect thisstudy will be of high utility to the personnel engaged in the planning and implementation of
PSD. Through systematic innovation and BPR, not only in Sri Lanka but also for manyother professionals and researchers who are engaged in designing and execution of similar
service improvements and reengineering strategies in different countries around the world.

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〇論文審査結果①テーマ：学術的・社会的意義を明確に意識したテーマ設定がなされているか
Ms. Wijeratne Elapatha Vishakha gave a satisfying explanation of the academic and social
significance of the thematic aspects of her research. The candidate explained the academic
and social importance of the thesis topic with ample references and examples. The theme
was related to the concept of social welfare that results from the better and more efficient
provision of public services through business process reengineering (BPR) related to publicmanagement. The thesis data and the problem sets are about the situation related to the
public service structure of Sri Lanka. BPR regime, in this context, meant (i) structuralreforms, (ii) regulatory overhaul, and (iii) better performance control mechanisms. These
three measures were put in place as a mainstay of the BPR regime to ensure efficientdelivery of public services. The candidate analyzes the post-BPR implementation state ofaffairs and measures the efficiency of the service across 29 ministries and departments of
the Sri Lankan government through which most public services are delivered to the
populace.
②研究の位置づけ：先行研究や関連研究が幅広く十分に渉猟され、的確に理解されたうえで問題設定がなされているか
Ms. Wijeratne explained that sufficient literature had been examined and, in the process,explained that the study was appropriately positioned. The candidate asserted that BPR isa continuous process instead of a one-time event; thus, a continuous inside-outside-inside(IOI) feedback process must be carried on and thus allow innovation to be incorporated
into the process. This way of defining BPR takes account of two key areas critical to thecase, i.e., fundamental rethinking and radical redesign. Two critical areas that stand out asprime targets for a BPR regime are: first, a fundamental rethinking of the philosophy;
second, a complete redesign of the structure of the business process in order to provide
public service efficiently. In Sri Lanka BPR process happened incrementally over many
years; by 2010, almost ten years had passed since various BPR measures were
implemented. The candidate conducted a two-pronged analysis of the situation andexplained that relevant empirical evidence was investigated and included in the thesis.
The examiners reconfirmed such explanations given by the candidate by examining thethesis submitted. They found that the facts described by the candidate were mentioned at
length in the thesis, upon which they concluded that the explanation was satisfactory. The
examiners were satisfied by the explanation and concurred that the candidate had mademinor textual improvements by the final examination, as advised in the preliminary
examination. In this regard, the examiners did discuss the material amongst themselves5and concluded that the thesis was well written and met the standards of academic thesis
writing.
③論文構成・体裁：テーマに沿って問題が適切に設定され、一貫した論述が展開された上で明確な結論が論理的に導きだされているか
The examiners agree that the description of the research questions was consistent with the
topic of the thesis. The candidate divided the related research questions and the analysis
into two stages. The stage-I analysis was conducted to evaluate the overall and unitary
efficiency of the implementation of the BPR regime in the public services of the country.
The stage-I fundamental research question can be listed as;•Has the implementation of the BPR regime increased the efficiency of the system as awhole?
•How disparate are the outcomes of the BPR regime across various DMUs of thegovernment of Sri Lanka?
In the stage-II of the analysis, the candidate applied an ordered multivariate logistic
regression model. The stage-II research questions are;
•What are the relationships amongst the various BPR measures (structure, rules, andcontrol) and the outcomes (effectiveness) of the BPR regime in total?
•How are the outcomes perceived by employees, i.e., level of agreement/disagreementlevel of effectiveness of the BPR?
•How correlated is the BPR measure per se to understand the inner structure of the BPR
measures?
The examiners also questioned, discussed, and confirmed the "placement of research” inthe greater body of knowledge. The candidate explained that the topic is about improving
public service delivery through better public management. Public management is asubfield of an extensive management theory. Examiners also raised specific questions
regarding efficiency in providing public services. As a result of lengthy discussion andcross-examination, the examiners concluded that the candidate's response and references
laid down in the thesis were acceptable and relevant.
④研究方法：テーマおよび問題設定にふさわしい研究方法が選択されているか／資料の取り扱いや分析結果の解釈は妥当か
In the final exam presentation and in the thesis, the candidate explained the data and theresearch methodology applied in the research. The candidate explained that a broad-based
ground survey was carried out on a five-point Likert scale, and performance data wascollected. Data was collected through a questionnaire-based field survey conducted across6

29 departments and ministries of the Sri Lankan government. The candidate collected a
total of 290 responses - each questionnaire composed of 40 questions regarding the inputs
and the outputs of the regime's implementation. The survey was conducted during the
February and March of 2020. In total, 290 respondents returned the completed
questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed on a 5-point Likert scale with 5 meaningstrongly agreed, 4 agreed, 3 neutral, 2 disagreed, and 1 strongly disagreed. Input questions
were categorized into three areas of the regime, i.e. (i) structure, (ii) rules, and (iii) control,and compared with the set of questions related to outcomes. The questions weredeliberately planned per se to verify the inputs and the outcomes of the BPR regime forpublic service delivery (PSD).
The examiners also asked details about the research questions raised and answered in thethesis by the candidate. The candidate described the analytical techniques and statisticalsoftware used to analyze the data used in the study. Using the data, a non-parametric dataenvelopment analysis (DEA) has been employed to measure the performance of ministries
and the departments denoted as decision-making units (DMUs). A DMU's efficiency is
depicted by the ratio of the sum of its weighted outputs to the sum of its weighted inputs.
DEA applies to the case of both public and private sector entities. DEA has widespread use
across many areas of public or private service provision industries. The data was analyzed
using the data envelopment analysis program DEAP Version 2.1 developed by Coelli(1996). DEA enables constructing a non-parametric frontier over the input and output dataand calculating the efficiency scores. The candidate assessed input-oriented constant returnto the scale (CRTS) and variable return to the scale (VRTS) models to calculate technicalefficiency and scale efficiency for 29 DMUs in the data. Using DEA, one can calculate each
DMU's efficiency score, calculated in relation to an efficiency frontier. DMUs positioned on
the efficiency frontier have an efficiency score of 1. DMUs operating below the frontier
have an efficiency score lesser than 1. DMUs can also be used for benchmarking, as DMUs
that fall on efficient frontier can serve as a benchmark for the DMUs that fall below thefrontier, and hence peers at frontier can serve as guideposts for the slackers. A nonparametric DEA can be conducted both from an input orientation or from an output
orientation to ascertain efficiency scores. However, for this very situation, input orientation
was considered most appropriate, as DMUs have control over only the inputs; public
service DMUs are expected to provide a minimum level of service, which is usually given
and cannot be arbitrarily controlled.
The candidate also answered some questions asked by the examiners regarding the datacollection methods and the questionnaires used in the survey. Overall, the examiners foundthe candidate’s explanation appropriate and satisfactory. Examiners carried out a deep
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reading and confirmation of the data, the analytical methods, and relevant materials (datasheets and appendices, etc.) attached with the thesis. As a result, the examiners are amply
convinced that the thesis presents a significant improvement in the body of knowledge andresearch related to public management and public services delivery.
⑤新規性：テーマや問題設定、研究方法や結論等に、学術的・社会的に注目すべき新規性が認められるか。
Through stage I, the data analysis shows that 4 DMUs out of 29 DMUs are efficient with reference
to the scale. The disparity of the scale efficiencies can be attributed to the latent inefficiencies or lackof full implementation of the BPR regime across the DMU. Out of 29 departments and ministries, 12
have increasing return to scale (IRTS), meaning there is still room to improve performance toachieve full-scale efficiency. 5 DMUs are faced with decreasing return to scale (DRTS), meaning
there is a capacity to increase the scale of service delivery in order to achieve scale efficiency. Other
12 DMUs are in a state of CRS, including 4 DMUs (DMU14, DMU22, DMU27, and DMU29) who
have achieved CRTS technical efficiency, VRTS technical efficiency, as well as scale efficiency;
adjusting the scale towards optimum scale one can enhance the level of efficiency. Therefore, it canbe safely concluded that out of 29 DMUs, 25 DMUs can increase public service delivery efficiency
by adjusting the scale of their operations. The candidate also prepared peers, groups, targets, slacks,
and individual DMU results.
At stage-II, the outcomes suggest that, while all inputs and outputs are significantly correlated, some
inputs have a more significant effect on the results expected from the BPR regime. As the candidate
has original data directly from the PSD organizations in the country, and this study is the first of its
kind in this regard, it is expected that this study will be of high utility to the people engaged in theplanning and implementation of PSD through systematic innovation and BPR. This should be true
not only for Sri Lanka but also for professionals and researchers engaged in designing and executing
similar service improvements and reengineering strategies in different countries around the world.
The candidate also made a strong case that the thesis results are applied. Moreover, the candidate
asserted that if the dissertation proposal is implemented, the country and society, in general, will
benefit from better and more efficient public services. The candidate also explained how thequestionnaire, the data, and the analytical approaches used in this study should be of interest andutility for academia in general too. In conclusion, the examiners agreed that the data used in thepaper was original and very practical in its nature and composition. They also concluded thatanalytical methods in public management are novel and of practical utility, especially in the country
under study, i.e., Sri Lanka.

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