ABSTRACT Business process management (BPM) combined with new technologies can trigger both incremental and disruptive improvements in how organizations operate. More specifically, today's fourth industrial revolution can bring rapid changes in an organization's process dynamics. Our study explores differences between possible process‐technology “fit” and “unfit” situations in BPM innovative projects. We extend relevant past studies and theories using a mix of qualitative techniques consisting of expert panel interviews and a case design using two field studies. Our findings reveal that, although alternative process‐technology “fit” and “no‐fit” situations exist, elements such as creativity, efficiency, integration, user friendliness, and proper task monitoring turn out to be the most promising factors to gain a process‐technology fit. Novelty in our work includes discovering “fit” and “no‐fit” factors in terms of process‐technology alignment, and the development of a decision framework with a generic set of suggestions for BPM practitioners and decision makers. Our mixed‐method approach is based on qualitative results by emphasizing in‐depth insights and lessons learned rather than building a generalizable theory. We intend to guide managers and decision makers to help them think about possible directions, as suggested by our experts and case participants at the time of their technology adoption in a BPM context.

Abstract Business process management (BPM) examines how work is performed in organizations. As environmental sustainability and context awareness are important to organizations, this study addresses two BPM calls. First, it focuses on the ecological impact of business processes. Second, this research recognizes the effect of an organization's business context when applying BPM. We have developed hypotheses to statistically analyze the effect of organization location, sector, size, and competitiveness (i.e., as contextual factors) on Green BPM adoption (RQ1). Additionally, the study reveals which BPM capabilities contribute more to an organization's society‐related performance (RQ2). The research questions were examined by means of a correlation analysis, hypothesis testing, and a regression analysis. The data set contained 100 BPM‐related responses from 403 high‐level managers, working in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India. For RQ1, we found a strong dependency between Green BPM adoption and organization size and competitiveness. For RQ2, although all BPM capabilities are positively linked to society‐related performance, four of them are of the highest importance, namely: (1) process‐based external relationships; (2) process‐oriented values, attitudes, and behaviors; (3) process‐oriented organization chart; and (4) process‐oriented governance bodies. We conclude with a discussion of these results, and we offer Green BPM decision‐making advice to practitioners.

Abstract While business process management (BPM) has become a recognized discipline, managers are still challenged to achieve an appropriate alignment between BPM their BPM needs and other management practices in the organization. Specifically, the aligned behavior and performance of employees and teams are crucial to reap the full benefits of BPM. To help managers face such alignment challenges, we have developed a qualitative decision support tool, called “process‐oriented appraisals and rewards” (POAR), by combining design‐science research with a strong qualitative approach. Our study contributes to the BPM and human resource management (HRM) disciplines by extending multifaceted knowledge, while also offering a practical tool for managers to support their decision making regarding a BPM‐HRM alignment.

Business Process Management (BPM) in the age of digitalization and globalization needs to become more innovative and creative. Information Technology (IT) helps to bring innovation in an organization's business processes. Our research objective is to incorporate prior studies related to the co-evolution between BPM and IT in order to explore insights and innovation trends resulting from this IT integration in the BPM discipline. We position the sampled studies against three BPM frameworks (i.e. BPM life cycle components, BPM core elements, and BPM context factors) to better incorporate their historical link with (new) IT. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) procedure was followed, resulting in 1,198 research papers for content analysis. The review output is summarized in a BPM-IT evolution chart and an extended BPM framework. The evolution chart confirms that Industry 4.0, Blockchains, Internet of Things (IoT) and Ambidextrous BPM are the most rising trends. We conclude by digging deeper into the novel themes for researchers, BPM consultants and managers.

In the age of digital disruption, organizations face the growing need to both optimize existing processes, and to radically innovate and disrupt them. Business Process Management (BPM) has proven great value for process control and process optimization, however not for process disruption. Our Systematic Literature Review of Business Process Ambidexterity provides an overview of this nascent domain. In our research, we have divided all articles into two main strands of research, focusing on: (1) organizational capabilities enabling Business Process Ambidexterity, and (2) the actual dynamic balance between exploration and exploitation in BPM, which is enabled by the modelling and optimization stages in the business process lifecycle. As there is no widely accepted definition of Business Process Ambidexterity, we propose one for future use, based on the concept of paradoxical thinking. Business Process Ambidexterity may both enable, and be facilitated by digitalization; however, there is limited evidence that Business Process Ambidexterity enables Business-IT alignment. The main research gap is the lack of conceptual and practical guidelines on Business Process Ambidexterity implementation. Hence, this article encourages future research and provides preliminary guidance for practitioners.