The "burning question" of incremental versus transformational change arises from management wanting things "faster and quicker", and the speed to market for new products combined with a "robotic approach" to compliance.

"They want transformational rewards for incremental costs," Cash said, adding barriers to transformation include longer running projects and the requirement for broad-based organizational support.

"Incremental change fails to deliver on real goals that give you the business benefit. People confuse BPM with workflow, and management still see that as the facilitation of manual work effort."

Cash said there is a tendency to think that applying a lot of incremental changes will achieve "big bold leaps".

The requirement for transformational change is no more apparent than within the mortgage industry where gaining approval and having it processed has not changed over the last 15 to 20 years.