The Consideration of Organizational, Human and Corporate
Cultural Factors in the Implementation of Business Process
Management Projects
Social Factors to Prevent Failure of BPM Projects
Rebecca Bulander and Matthias Dietel
Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences, Tiefenbronner Str. 65, 75175 Pforzheim, Germany
Keywords: Business Process Management, Business Process Management Projects, Social Factors, Human Factors,
Organizational Structure, Organizational Culture, Organizational Behaviour, Socio-Technical Design,
Change Management.
Abstract: The implementation of Business Process Management technology in terms of software solutions is one of
the major business efforts in the corporate world over the last decade. The related technology enables co-
operations to streamline, automate and control their business processes. Even when the technology has
considerably evolved and the implementation methodologies have improved over time, there is still a high
rate of failed projects. These projects mainly fail because the correlated organizational and human factors
are not considered in sufficient detail and appropriate thoughtfulness. The objectives of the research of this
paper are to review the organizational and the human factors which are of relevance in BPM projects. The
research is based on a literature review. The result of the paper is a research proposal for further research.
Based on the results of this further research recommendations for project managers and consultants towards
a successful BPM implementation can be formulated.
1 INTRODUCTION
In today’s competitive environment innovation is
one key concept of differentiation and thus the basis
of competitive advantage aspired by companies. Bu-
siness processes – the procedural articulation of
various activities of a company – are the core enab-
lers of innovative capacity and an innovation culture
in the company. Business processes have twin di-
mensions: the technical and the social architectures
(Prahalad and Krishnan, 2008). Business Process
Management (BPM) is a management discipline
which provides governance for a process-oriented
organization. It aims at the goal of agility and
operational performance. Therefore it uses methods,
policies, metrics, management practices, and
software tools to manage and continuously improve
an organization’s business processes (Franz and
Kirchmer, 2012).
In correspondence with this definition the term
BPM in this paper is defined as the combination of
management theory and technology.
BPM can have profound implications on a
business organization, its culture and the way of how
employees perform their tasks. It has implications on
how power is established and how control is exe-
cuted. These implications are closely related to three
fundamental principles of organizations. They
provide the justification of why human factors are of
significant importance in the context of Business
Process Management Projects:
1. An organization is a social arrangement which
pursues collective goals, which controls its own
performance, and which has a boundary separa-
ting it from its environment.
2. The culture within such an organization is
defined and lived by its people.
3. Tasks within the organization are performed and
ultimately controlled by people.
Today the execution of the majority of the processes
within an organization requires a combination of
people and technologies (Weske, 2012).
Employees working within the processes have the
most important role in business processes (Schmel-
zer and Sesselmann, 2008).
However BPM projects mainly fail because the
171
Bulander R. and Dietel M..
The Consideration of Organizational, Human and Corporate Cultural Factors in the Implementation of Business Process Management Projects - Social
Factors to Prevent Failure of BPM Projects.
DOI: 10.5220/0004533001710179
In Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Data Communication Networking, 10th International Conference on e-Business and 4th
International Conference on Optical Communication Systems (ICE-B-2013), pages 171-179
ISBN: 978-989-8565-72-3
Copyright
c
 2013 SCITEPRESS (Science and Technology Publications, Lda.)

respective human factors are not considered in
sufficient detail (Jeston & Nelis, 2008). This state-
ment refers to the implementation of BPM projects.
This means that human factors have to be considered
as important as the technology, the implementation
methodology and the functional scope of a BPM
project. The challenging aspect in the nature of BPM
projects is founded in the fact that these projects
have multiple implications on an organization. The
introduction of BPM usually impacts the operational
and organizational structure as well as the way
employees execute their daily tasks at the same time.
This paper analyses the importance of the organi-
zational and human aspects of Business Process
Management Projects primarily based on a literature
review. In literature there are rarely references on
how to consider and address the relevant organi-
zational and human factors in the course of the
implementation of BPM. However there is a lot of
literature concerned with the management concept
of BPM and BPM technology. Also process model-
ling, process design and optimization as well as the
implementation methodologies are covered exten-
sively by literature. The selection criteria of litera-
ture for this paper focuses on literature addressing
primarily the human and organizational aspects.
The objectives of the research of this paper are to
review the organizational and the human factors
which are of relevance in BPM projects. It also pro-
vides recommendations to improve the awareness
and understanding of the organizational and human
factors which are correlated to a BPM implemen-
tation.
This section provides an introduction and an
overview of business process management. The
main section of the paper comprises a literature
review where the relevant factors are identified and
discussed. An overview about the identified factors
is provided in a research summary section. The
paper concludes with a proposal for further research.
The objective of the proposal is to gain an insight
and understanding about the extent of awareness and
the comprehension of the identified factors among
the population of BPM project managers and con-
sultants.
2 BPM EVOLTUION
IN CONTEXT
OF THE RESEARCH
The literature research is focusing on what literature
says about the aspects in the context of the intro-
duction of a BPM solution and the implications on
the organization and the people within this organi-
zation caused by the related change. There is a lot of
literature addressing single or a set of non-technical
aspects related to business process management.
However there are rarely sources which are ana-
lysing the interconnection and correlations of the
different factors in the context of the implementation
of BPM.
The effort for process improvement has a long
heritage. Since the beginning of industrialization in
the late 18th century managers were intensively
focused on the efficient organization of manufac-
turing and later administrative processes. During the
succeeding decades of industrial development until
today numerous stories of entrepreneurs who
changed processes and revolutionized an industry
are well known.
In this early phase Frederick Winslow Taylor
(1911) published his “Principles of Scientific
Management”. In his work Taylor sought to capture
some of the key ideas of process improvement. The
development of new technologies has often led to
new business processes. Since the decade of the
1950s computers and software systems have
provided a major source of new efficiencies. The
introduction and implementation of these new
technologies was always related to change on how
companies organized their business and the way
employees processed their tasks.
Two contemporary developments in management
theory are fundamental for today’s business process
management concept. One is the consideration of the
organization as a system. The other is the concept of
the value chain formulated by Michael Porter.
The link between the technical systems and the
human side is addressed by the principles of the
Socio-technical system theory. Socio-technical de-
sign recognizes the interaction of technical and
human need’s in effective job design, combining the
needs for the personnel with the organization’s need
for technical efficiency (Daft, 2013). Pava (1983)
sees in this approach the emphasis on the humanistic
principles of participation, learning and empower-
ment. The organization is viewed as made up of
people (the social system) using tools, techniques
and knowledge (the technical system) to produce
products or services. In the context of this paper the
term Business Process Management System refers to
the technical system. Kochan & Gershenfeld (2000)
state in their paper that the design of work systems
requires the integration of technical process require-
ments, complex social interactions and the various
political dynamics that arise in any organizational
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context.
The symbiosis of BPM and information
technology leads to a strong position of the IT
department. The authors of the paper reviewed the
relevant standard literature related to the
organizational and human factors in conjunction
with BPM. A detailed overview of the result of the
literature review is provided in table 1.
3 EXPLANATION
OF THE RESEARCH FACTORS
The following section explores the different organi-
zational and human factors mentioned in literature in
the context of BPM projects (see also table 1). The
identified factors build the foundational elements of
the further research proposal provided later in this
paper. Therefore these factors will be referenced as
“research factors”.
3.1 Organizational Factors
3.1.1 Organizational Structure
To gain an understanding of what the implications of
the introduction of BPM on an organizational struc-
ture might be it is necessary to have a basic under-
standing about the formal and the informal organi-
zational structure as well as common structure con-
cepts.
Formal Structure and Concepts
Every organization has a formal and an informal or-
ganizational structure (Tichy et al., 1979); (Barney,
1985). The formal organizational structure deter-
mines the prescribed lines of reporting and the levels
of hierarchy as well as the span of control of mana-
gers and supervisors (Daft, 2013). This formal
system of task and authority relationships includes
mechanisms of control in order to manage how
employees coordinate their actions and use resources
to achieve organizational objectives (Jones, 2010).
Within this structure it is defined how the work
within the company is organized (Hammer and
Champy, 1993). The structure of an organization
also defines the design of systems to ensure effective
communication, coordination and integration of
efforts across departments (Daft, 2013). The most
common organizational structures are the functional
structure, the divisional structure and the matrix
structure.
Functional Structure
In the traditional functional structure the basic unit is
the functional department. Organizations can be dif-
ferentiated how these departments are arranged
(Hammer and Champy, 1993). In the functional
organization activities are grouped together by
common function from bottom to the top of the
organization. The functional structure has a tendency
of centralization of decision making because if
forces decisions all the way to the top before a
problem affecting several functions can be solved
(Daft, 2013).
Divisional Structure
Within the divisional structure the organizational
units are grouped according to individual products,
services, product groups, major projects or pro-
grams, divisions, businesses, or profit centres. The
functional structure has a tendency of decentrali-
zation of decision making because the lines of au-
thority converge at a lower level of in the hierarchy.
Matrix Structure
The structure of a matrix organization is appropriate
when the organization’s structure requires equal
emphasis on the functional and the divisional struc-
ture at the same time. Typically the functional or-
ganization represents the vertical basis dimension of
the structure. The divisional unites (e.g. product, ser-
vice or geography) are horizontally layered on top
on the vertical basis. Within matrix organizations
there is a tendency towards decision decentralization
because the business decisions are assigned to the
respective functional and divisional decision authori-
ty of the structure (Krueger, 1994).
Process Organization
In a business process centric organization the struc-
ture is ideally horizontal. That means that employees
are organized along the core processes. The horizon-
tal collaboration of all members along the process
chain is a key element of a process focused mind-set
(Becker and Kahn, 2002).
The desired business improvements are accom-
plished by taking in account an entire process that
cut across organizational boundaries (Hammer and
Champy, 1993).
The shift towards a horizontal structure happens
typically in a procedure called reengineering or busi-
ness process reengineering. In this procedure the
vertical organization is redesigned along its horizon-
tal workflows and processes.
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Table 1: Literature matrix with research factors.
Author,
Title,
Year
Subject of research
Factors
Organizational structure Corporate culture Skills Emporement & responsibility Impact on social interaction Non-human control Change management
van der Aalst, W., Desel, J.,
Oberweis, A., Business Process
Management, 2000
Covers models, techniques and empirical studies on business process
management. The study of Peter Krug comprised in this volume specifically
examines the effects of workflow systems on organizations.
X X X X
Becker, J., Kugeler. M.
Rosemann, M., in engl. Process
Management), 2001
Guidelines for process oriented organizational design
X X X X X
vom Brocke, J., Rosemann, M.,
Handbook on Business Process
Management , 1 & 2, 2010
Provides guidance for the integration of BPM into corporate methodologies
and information systems.
X X X X X X X
Davenport, T. H., Process
Innovation, 1993
Study about the strategic and operational dimensions of business process
design and management in the context of the utilisation of IT as enabling
technology for business process innovation
X X X X X X
Daft, R. L., Organization Theory
and Design, 2013
Provides a deep insight into organizational theories and also the connection to
BPM.
X X X X X X X
Jones, G., Organizational Theory
Design and Change, 2010
Compendium discussing and highlighting all aspects related to organizational
design, culture and organizational change. Especially managing conflict power
and politics is comprised in this book.
X X X X X
Hammer, H., Champy, J,
Reengineering the Corporation,
1993
A thought leading plea for the establishment of enterprise wide process
orientation, business process re-design and re-structuring addressing the
accompanying re-design of organizational structures. IT is perceived as
cornerstone in the enablement of process re-design.
X X X X X X
Harmon, P., Business Process
Change, 2007
Provides an insight to BPM tools and the recognizing of the fundamental
management changes that underpin them.
X X X X X
Nelis, J., Business Process
Management, 2008
Provision of practical guidelines for business process management
implementations. X X X X X
Lundgren, E.F.
Organizational Management
Systems and Processes, 1974
Compendium about organizational management. It provides an overview of
management practice covering decision making and control systems,
organizational structures and behaviour. It also covers issues related to
organizational change.
X X X X X X
Ritzer, G., The McDonaldization
of Society, 2008
Study of the characteristics and principles of the socially structured form of
the fast food restaurant as an organizational force. The benefits for the
companies as well as the impact on the employees in such systems are
discussed. In addition the expansion of these principles in other industries is
addressed as well.
X X X X X X
Schmelzer, H., Sesselmann, W.,
in engl. Business Process
Management, 2008
Introduction of an integrated concept of business process management
comprising the organisation, controlling and optimization of business
processes
X X X X X X
Hugos, M. H., Business Agility:
Sustainable Prosperity in
Relentless Competitive World,
2009
Introduces principles, strategies and technology with the objective to improve
organisational responsiveness on market demands in order to achieve
sustainable competitive advantage. X X
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In practise many companies are in a transitional
stage where they already have transformed parts of
their organizational structure into a horizontal pro-
cess oriented structure. The remaining organization
continues to work according to the traditional struc-
tures. Often they establish the horizontal structure in
a subsidiary or a particular business unit or division.
The main objective is to transform the whole organi-
zation in a step by step procedure into a horizontal
process oriented organization. Shifting to a horizon-
tal structure is complicated and time consuming be-
cause it requires significant changes in culture, job
design, management philosophy, and information
and reward systems (Daft, 2013)
As described above the implementation of Busi-
ness Process Management has an impact on different
aspects of the organization and the people related.
This means that the theories, principles and metho-
dologies of organizational theory, design and change
have to be considered when implementing a BPM
software solution. Today organizational change is
mostly driven by BPM (Oesterle, 1995). Depending
on the scope of the BPM implementation the organi-
zational structure of a company can be affected
profoundly.
In a process oriented company the authority to
make decisions and the related responsibility shifts
from the top of the vertical axis to the horizontal
axis shifts.
Daft (2013) notes that the transformation in a
process oriented structure requires a change in the
mind-set and the way managers and employees think
about how work is done.
Informal Structure
The informal structure of an organization represents
the compound of personal and social relationships
among the members of an organization. For Fajardo
(1997) the formation of informal groups within an
organization is a natural process.
Informal structures can make organizations more
efficient (Lundgren, 1974). Within the informal
structures a faster way of communication is estab-
lished. Communication flows direct between the
peers of the informal group in contrast to the com-
munication flow within the formal structure, where
communication flows along defined channels.
In large organizations informal structures can
also accelerate the processes of the formal organi-
zation by establishing short cuts or circumventions
of the formal processes and procedures. Members of
informal organizations can control the work perfor-
mance of their groups by means of their collective
support, or cooperation with management policies.
Contrariwise they can also ignore or oppose de-
cisions, rules, systems, or procedures imposed by the
representatives of the formal decision authority
(Fajardo, 1997).
The leaders of the informal organization act
often as “grey eminence” and influence formal de-
cision makers. This means that these structures can
be supportive or inhibiting for the management.
Therefore wise management will recognize informal
organizations in their considerations and decisions.
In consideration of the implementation of BPM
this is of major importance. Depending on the way
how the members of the informal organization were
addressed in the course of such a project this can
decide over success or failure of the project.
3.1.2 Communication in Organizations
Managers have a key role in the communication pro-
cesses within companies. They create information
linkages to facilitate communication and coordi-
nation among organizational elements.
Vertical Linkage within Organizations
Vertical linkages refer to the communication and co-
ordination of activities between the top and the
bottom layer of an organization. Their primary pur-
pose is to enable control of the organization.
In case of repetitive or routine tasks, rules and
procedures provide a standard information source
enabling employees to be coordinated without actu-
ally communicating about every task.
Horizontal Linkages within Organizations
Horizontal linkages are established horizontally
across organizational departments or functional units
on the same organizational level. These linkages en-
able employees to coordinate tasks, share informa-
tion, solve problems and resolve conflicts (Guffey et
al., 2006). Horizontal communication is less formal
and structured than communication in the vertical
structure (Daft, 2010).
3.1.3 Corporate Culture
Jones (2010) defines corporate culture as the set of
shared values and norms, which control organi-
zational members’ interactions with each other and
with suppliers, customers, and other people outside
the organization. Corporate culture can be utilised to
increase organizational effectiveness because culture
controls the way members make decisions, the way
they interpret and manage the organizational en-
vironment, what they do with information, and how
they behave. Thus culture affects the performance of
an organization and competitive position. Strong or-
ganizational cultures can have a profound impact on
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a company, which can be either positive or negative
for the organization.
Daft (2013) notes that the design of an organi-
zation represents a strong reflection of its culture.
In the context of BPM Ulrike Baumöl (2010)
states “BPM is at the centre of change initiatives as
the main lever for implementing change through
process engineering. Yet, especially the cultural
aspects of organizational change have not been
systematically integrated into the principles of
BPM”.
Existing methods are usually focused on specific
topics of change, for example, either strategy or pro-
cesses or culture which leads to a disregard of the re-
levant topics and with this, the complexity of organi-
zational change.
The corporate culture and the emotional confi-
guration of an organization represent an important
basis for the responsiveness to change. „It is only
when managers try to implement new strategies or
programs that go against basic cultural norms and
values that they come to face with the power of
culture.“(Daft, 2010)
The most common culture types are the adaptab-
ility culture, the mission culture, the clan culture and
the bureaucratic culture. Each of these types has its
characteristic philosophy and value system.
3.2 Human Factors
3.2.1 Skills
Today skills and qualification are key for the success
of a company and its ability to innovate (Carlson &
William, 2006). Jones (2010) differentiates func-
tional and organizational skills. Functional skills are
the skills possessed by the functional personnel
within an organization. In “McDonaldization of
Society” Ritzer (2008) notes that post-Fordist sys-
tems require a higher level of qualification of the
employees. The core principles of Fordism are based
on the operational organization which is charac-
terized by high degree of specialization and auto-
matization. It is optimized for mass production of
homogeneous products produced with inflexible sys-
tem with standardized work routines.
In contrast a post-Fordist organization is charac-
terized by the production of highly customized and
specialized products, shorter production runs, flexib-
le production and more capable personnel. The em-
ployees need more diverse skills and adequate trai-
ning to handle the more demanding, more sophisti-
cated technologies like BPM systems. In addition to
high-quality functional skills Jones (2010) formu-
lates the requirement of so called core competences
which qualify functional personnel as a source of
competitive advantage. Daft (2013) perceives an
area of special attention. He remarks that employees
have to be trained to work effectively in a team en-
vironment. The horizontal structure can limit in-
depth knowledge and skill development because of
the cross-functional nature of work. In order to avoid
negative implycations regarding these aspects
measures have to be taken to give employees oppor-
tunities to maintain and build expertise. He per-
ceives the demand for skill development rather as an
aspect of keeping an adequate level of in-depth
knowledge than of skill diversification. Hammer and
Champy (1993) differentiate training and education.
Training increases the skills and competences
regarding the “how” of a job. Education covers the
“why” by increasing the employee’s insight and un-
derstanding of the business context of their work.
3.2.2 Empowerment & Responsibility
Daft (2010) defines empowerment as power sharing.
It is the intentional delegation of power or authority
to subordinates in an organization. Hammer and
Champy (1993) note that employees who work in a
reengineered process are, on necessity empowered.
Effective empowerment is characterized by three
elements: of enablement: information, knowledge
and power. Thus employees have the power to make
substantive decisions. Ritzer (2008) confirms this
perspective. New technologies like BPM systems
require employees who can handle more respon-
sibility and operate with greater autonomy. In this
context Harmon (2010) emphasis the relation of
automation and employee empowerment, which will
continue to evolve together and each needs the
attention of anyone seeking to change processes
within an organization.
Contemporary IT technology like BPM systems
provide employees with more of the information and
knowledge they need to perform their roles effect-
tively (Jones, 2010).
In contrast to the increased requirements of qua-
lification, empowerment and responsibility technolo-
gies like BPM systems are implemented to replace
employees who perform routine work and highly
standardized tasks (Ritzer, 2008). The perspective of
increased requirements of qualification and the po-
tential loss of employment is one of the major rea-
sons of open or hidden resistance regarding the im-
plementation of the new technology.
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3.2.3 Impact on Social Interaction
According to Lundgren (1974) every formal position
has a technical, sociotechnical, and social dimen-
sion. Out of the technical and the sociotechnical di-
mensions, social interactions occur and informal
groups form. Davenport (1993) confirms this per-
ception by noting that human beings prefer jobs
which provide the possibility for social interaction.
The aspect of socialization can be of particular ad-
vantage when the primary content of the work is in-
formational. Hammer and Champy (1993) supple-
ment that the employees in a process oriented or-
ganization unit will perceive a tendency of inten-
sified social interaction. Already during the imple-
mentation phase of BPM this is expected as the co-
workers exchange their experience about the new
working environment. But also in the long run the
level of social interaction will remain high because
the members of the process team share joint
responsibility with their team for performing the
whole process not just a small piece of it.
However depending on the process design
Davenport (1993) recognizes the risk of isolation.
He states that the most efficient process designs can
chain employees to their workstations. With the ab-
sence of a team structure to foster social interaction
the employees performing these tasks can become
alienated. In the long term there is a risk of negative
impact on the motivation and performance of these
employees.
3.2.4 Non-human Control
The introduction of a BPM system comes along with
the introduction of control by a non-human instance.
Ritzer (2008) describes this complex as increased
control of humans through the utilization of non-
human technology. According to Ritzer people re-
present the source of uncertainty and unpredicta-
bility, and inefficiency in any rationalizing system.
Efficiency and quality driven organizations strive to
reduce these factors with the support of technology
for like BPM systems. Ritzer has a very extensive
definition of technology in this context. In addition
to machines and tools technology includes in this
understanding also skills, knowledge, rules, regula-
tions, procedures, and techniques. Thus technology
also encompasses bureaucratic rules, and manuals
prescribing procedures and techniques. According to
zur Mühlen and Shapiro (2010) BPM systems fea-
ture a broad range of control mechanisms and the
control of key performance indicators defined by the
management of a company. Today it is common
practice that even management functions are subject
of control by non-human technology. With the ex-
tension of business process monitoring and business
intelligence components computer systems take
away the need for managers to make judgements and
decisions they used to be responsible for (Ritzer,
2008).
In most European countries however the data
protection regulations limit the control on an indivi-
dual basis (BDSG, 2010). These aspects are also
under close observation of the authorities of the
works council. Many companies have established
the role of the data protection officer who is the
responsible subject matter expert
Most individuals feel uncomfortable when their
performance is monitored and tracked by a computer
system. On the positive side this kind of control pro-
vides objective information about the workload and
performance of individuals (Daft, 2013). This might
help the management to take actions. For example
rebalance the work load, recognize and appreciate
top performance or to investigate the reasons for low
performance of employees. For the management of a
company the main reasons to implement a BPM
system is increased productivity, greater quality,
control and lower cost.
3.2.5 Change Management
Harmon (2010) is convinced that change and busi-
ness processes are two sides of the same coin. In the
view of Schmelzer and Sesselmann (2008) BPM re-
presents a specific kind of continuous business re-
organization. It changes soft factors like leadership
style, roles, behaviour and collaboration as well as
hard factors like structure and processes. It contri-
butes to a sustainable improvement of the competi-
tive ability (Kotter, 1995).
This means that change and the management of
change processes are a core theme of BPM and of
vital importance for the success of BPM initiatives
and implementations. In the context of change emo-
tions are highly relevant, as they can either fuel and
energize or derail and obstruct change processes. In
the case when employees already have been subject
to substantial change and are operating in an per-
ceived uncertain environment they might rapidly
reach their limits of their individual capacity to ab-
sorb and cope with additional change. Therefore
they may resist and thus threaten the ultimate suc-
cess of the implementation of a change programme
(O’Connor and Fiol, 2006).
Jetson and Nelis (2008) specifically address
people change management as a separate discipline.
Processes are executed either by people, or by peop-
le supported by technology. It is people who will
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make or break the implementation of a BPM project,
and unless they have committed their “buy-in” and
supporting the project, the chances of failure are
high. The people aspects of every process change
and activity need to be assessed and acted upon in an
understanding and sympathetic manner. There is a
growing belief that the personnel aspects of a BPM
project have not always been addressed in sufficient
detail.
3.3 Summary of Research Factors
This section provides a summary of the research fac-
tors. In the course of the literature review the fol-
lowing organizational and human factors in the
context of BPM implementations were revealed as
relevant (see figure 1).
Figure 1: Research factors.
The category of the Organizational factors includes
the two items organizational structure and corporate
culture. As discussed in the literature review both
factors are of major relevance for a successful BPM
implementation since the organizational structure
and the corporate culture are determining dimen-
sions of the organizational sphere of an enterprise in
which the processes are executed.
In the category of the Human factors five factors
have been revealed in the course of the literature
review. These factors focus on the consequences and
the impact the implementation of BPM will have on
the work environment, the control and management
of the people working along the processes, the way
things are done within an organization and how the
social interaction between these employees will be
changed.
4 FURTHER RESEARCH
The literature review turned out that we can find
some literature which mentions several aspects of
the organizational and human factors in the context
of BPM implementations. The following discussion
of the factors revealed substantial evidence for the
relevance of the two categories and the factors
included for BPM projects.
Consequently the research question for the
further research is: “Are BPM project managers and
consultants aware of and do they comprehend the
organizational and human factors in the context of
BPM and how do they consider these factors in the
implementaion of BPM?”
So the main objective of the further research is to
explore the extent of awareness and the under-
standing of the factors by the BPM project managers
and consultants. Furthermore how do they address
these in the implementation process of BPM pro-
jects. This is dependent on the knowledge and
experience of each individual. Therefore the re-
searcher has to understand the people involved and
what they say and what they do in the context of the
factors. This implies qualitative research as the
appropriate methodology.
Hence the further research design will be based
on semi-structured interviews which combine struc-
ture and flexibility. This approach allows the struc-
tured exploration of the areas of interest as well as
the coverage of important insights as they arise
during the course of the conversation with the re-
spondent (Myers, 2009). The objective of the further
research will be focused on the population of BPM
project managers and consultants. Therefore
purposive sampling is applied.
The research will follow an inductive approach
by relating the results of the field work with the
findings of the literature review in order to detect
confirmations and deviances. Patterns and regulari-
ties will be identified and described in inductively
generated categories.
The findings of the qualitative research can be
basis for a guide for BPM project managers and
consultants providing helpful recommendations and
guidelines about how these factors have to be con-
sidered and addressed appropriately in a BPM pro-
ject. They can be integrated in an enablement pro-
gramme for these professionals as well.
5 CONCLUSIONS
In the course of the research of this paper seven
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major organizational and human factors were identi-
fied. For each factor the correlations between the
implementation of the technology and the BPM
concept with their potential effects on the organi-
zation and the employees affected by the change are
discussed.
Based on the results of this review and the proof
of the relevance of the identified factors the authors
provide a proposal for further research.
The proposal comprises a qualitative research
approach with the objective to explore the extent of
awareness and the understanding of the factors by
the BPM project managers and consultants how they
address these in their work.
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TheConsiderationofOrganizational,HumanandCorporateCulturalFactorsintheImplementationofBusinessProcess
ManagementProjects-SocialFactorstoPreventFailureofBPMProjects
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