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Purpose
– Business process management (BPM) is still mostly associated with methods and software tools for process modeling, automation and redesign/performance analysis, with limited effort toward building and applying interdisciplinary approaches which capture the real complexity of business processes. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate a system view of BPM and presents an actionable body of knowledge to enhance process-related decisions and actions within organizations.


Design/methodology/approach
– A design science approach is used to build a conceptual contribution based on extended process management literature and a multi-year author experience in the area of business process engineering in both research and education contexts.


Findings
– A business process management system includes strategy, model, execution and performance dimensions whereas the management of a process involves activities related to scope, structure, resource, systems, dependency, exception, performance and external integration.


Research limitations/implications
– The frameworks and related definitions need further theoretical development and refinement in terms of the components and reciprocal relations among system and activity elements. In this vein, the study would also benefit from real-life applications and empirical analysis.


Practical implications
– The paper can support process implementation, maturity assessment and competence development efforts within organizations as well as be a foundational work to advance the creation of a global body of knowledge on process management.


Originality/value
– The paper proposes a holistic perspective on BPM as a system of components and a bundle of activities, thus providing a twofold strategic and operational tool for process analysts and managers at different levels.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the main factors affecting information and communication technology (ICT) adoption and process redesign within organizations, with the objective of defining a systematization framework and a set of methods and tools useful for students and practitioners.Design/methodology/approachThe review of literature focused on organizational change and ICT‐enabled process innovation allows to extract the key issues for building the model and approaches presented.FindingsThe effective introduction of change requires addressing aspects placed at strategy, people, process and enablers level. A system view of these components and their relationships is a key to streamline ICT adoption and process redesign.Research limitations/implicationsThe roadmap is addressed to support only the design or pre‐implementation phase of change, with a major intra‐organizational perspective.Originality/valueThe main asset of this paper is to combine several frameworks into a unique roadmap to support the investigation of human, process, and technology dimensions of organizational change. Besides, a set of methods and tools are proposed to streamline the design of ICT‐enabled and process‐based change within an organization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged organisations to adapt and redesign their processes and management practices in response to the rising emergency. Governments across the globe have implemented strategies to reduce infection and mortality, and build resilience. Most response strategies and actions have leveraged the potential of digital technologies (DT). However, despite the importance of DT in supporting business continuity, an integrative framework describing how DT can support organisational responsiveness in relevant disruptions is still not available. This research presents the outcomes of a web and social content analysis of 40 world-leading corporations facing the COVID-19 emergency. The study identifies how these organisations have used DT in 12 activities related to the management of operations, human resources, and customers. For each activity, a set of digital enablers are identified, and the deriving organisational value is outlined. The contribution of this research lies in reinvigorating and advancing the scholarly discussion on the centrality of DT for the enhancement of organisational preparedness in critical scenarios. From a managerial perspective, this research provides business leaders and managers with a checklist useful to define digital-enhanced business continuity plans. ; Post-print / Final draft

AbstractThis article describes how the business process re‐engineering (BPR) concepts, knowledge base and software tools developed as part of the MIT Process Handbook can be extended and improved through the use of a systematic taxonomization of business process metrics. After introducing the key concepts underlying the Handbook, we propose a taxonomy of cost, dimension and value‐related process metrics and show how the capture of such measures, combined with a set of special query types, enables more effective BPR. These innovations are illustrated using an example wherein the manager of a travel agency redesigns a booking process to reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated a global movement of open innovation initiatives aimed to provide knowledge and tools to support policy decisions and actions in the emergency scenario. The authors describe an open innovation process aimed to build an information coordination system to reduce the infection diffusion within the population.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use coordination theory principles to elaborate a framework of activities, resources and dependencies among information resources and producers in the COVID-19 emergency. The framework was applied to develop a case study aimed at describing a health emergency system implemented by Dyrecta Lab (a research laboratory on computer science) and CITEL (a medical research center).FindingsThe authors describe the existence of relevant "flow," "fit" and "share" dependencies within the activities of infection containment and medical treatment. The authors identify eight key resources and a number of actors involved in those activities, and describe a platform able to gather a multitude of epidemic-related metrics with the purpose to address dependencies and support decision making.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors provide insights for advancing the academic discussion on process coordination principles in time-constrained, volatile and highly demanding scenarios.Practical implicationsThe value of the authors' research can be identified for practitioners engaged to develop innovative development projects for public utility. The authors provide a contribution also for first responders and health operators involved in management of the current and future emergencies.Originality/valueThe adoption of process coordination principles is a relatively new and powerful approach to analyze and optimize the processes that characterize the management of emergency scenarios. Besides, the study and application of open innovation in healthcare are partially limited.

Although exponential technologies promise to bring unprecedented value at the socio-economic and policy levels, the social acceptability and preparedness for the technological "singularity" should be carefully considered. In particular, whereas digital innovation is able to drive an extraordinary development of entrepreneurial ventures, a number of challenging issues and the ongoing pandemic crisis have increased the need to investigate how technological breakthrough and human capital can be effectively combined in order to build resilient socio-technical and entrepreneurial ecosystems. This paper offers a synopsis of the major investigation areas and a reflection on the themes associated with the emergence of a digital society and the affirmation of digital entrepreneurship ecosystems. The research process follows a systematic literature review and a conceptual development approach aimed to introduce both the concept and a model of the digital society "incubator". The proposed model identifies the actors, values, flows, and processes that are required to support the construction of a resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem. In this perspective, the study proposes a new focus by hybridizing and integrating both entrepreneurial and technology-related dimensions into a single unifying model. The study also lays the groundwork for further studies aimed at identifying the environmental and institutional factors required to support a smooth and effective transition towards a resilient entrepreneurial and technology-driven society.

PurposeThe generation of new ventures within established companies, also known as corporate entrepreneurship (CE), is a process influenced by a set of individual and organizational factors. This paper aims to focus on creativity and human resource management enablers of CE, with the purpose to define an integrative framework and draw a set of related research propositions.Design/methodology/approachThe paper relies on a multidisciplinary literature review in the fields of CE, creativity and organizational innovation.FindingsThe effectiveness of CE depends on a set of individual factors, distinguished into professional and psychological characteristics, and organizational factors, which include the system of values of the organization and the management practices applied in the same.Research limitations/implicationsFrom a theoretical point of view, the paper develops an integrative framework of conditions that impact on CE and outlines a set of propositions and alternative research methods to test.Practical/implicationsFrom a practitioner perspective, the study provides managers with a comprehensive set of factors enabling CE by leveraging the creativity of individuals and make it flourish through consistent human resource management practices.Originality/valueThe value of the paper stays in the integration of individual-related and organizational-related determinants of entrepreneurial performance.

AbstractThe benefits of managing companies through a process‐based approach are well recognized in the business literature and in many corporate contexts. However, there is a limited discussion on how to practically design and develop an organization based on processes. This paper aims to address this relative 'gap' in the literature by presenting the case of a recent international joint venture in the regional jet industry. In the following paper, we present a story of organization design based on the identification and description of the core process model of the company, with a specific focus on customer service activities. Based on interviews and direct observation at the field site, this paper shows the main steps undertaken to define the process taxonomy levels and to describe process elements, along with a discussion of the relationships with the business model components of the company. The paper provides practical value as it provides practical insights relating to the start‐up of a new company driven by a process‐based approach. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to describe the case of a leading Italian aerospace company which developed an integrated system aimed to optimize the management of engineering competencies within the Chief Technical Office function.Design/methodology/approachThe paper was based on a set of interviews to company referents and a one‐year period of researcher's observation at the company site to analyze competence management processes and the application on the field of the methodology and the tool. The approach adopted is to present a real practice following a pragmatic and illustrative approach.FindingsThe integrated system provides an objective method to support critical evaluations related to the management of competencies and actors. The benefits achieved derive from a more effective and efficient monitoring of competencies available to perform given activities, and from the analysis of gaps, actor allocation, and job‐rotation issues.Research limitations/implicationsThe application of the method and the tool is still quite "dependent" from the skills of their developers. Besides, the activities and competencies of those units which support new product development processes should be also integrated in the system.Practical implicationsThe case described can be a useful benchmark for organizations working in complex industries in the effort of improving the performance of engineering activities through an enhanced management of knowledge about people potential and expertise.Originality/valueThe value of the paper may stay in a twofold process/project and people management perspective in the monitoring, development, and scouting of technical competencies.

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss the role of intangible assets in higher education and research institutions and to present a measurement framework, along with an illustrative application.Design/methodology/approachA review of existing theories and practical experiences is undertaken to build the core conceptual model and a dashboard of indicators. The model is then applied to investigate the mission and performance angles of intellectual capital with reference to an Italian higher education and research institution.FindingsCreating intangible assets is at the core of the mission of education and research organizations. The identification and measurement of intellectual capital are thus an operational priority to evaluate the alignment between strategic orientation and performance within such institutions.Research limitations/implicationsThe research has to be considered as exploratory and presents a single case, resulting in the need for further applications. However, the dashboard of metrics proposed is comprehensive and can thus represent a useful ground for refinements, mostly related to the links between indicators and management/strategy issues.Practical implicationsThe dashboard can be used as a stakeholder communication tool and atableau de bordto support the strategic decisions related to the human, social and structural capital of education and research organizations.Originality/valueThe paper presents a first discussion on the systematic identification, classification and reporting of intellectual capital indicators in higher education and research.